Magic of Mates
by jessysucks
Summary: Genevieve Salvatore. She now goes by Vie. It's been a month and a half since the sacrifice, and she is now off searching for werewolves with Nik. Their bond is getting stronger, and slowly, she feels something inside her changing. Nik is slowly falling in love with Genevieve. Yet, it feels stronger than love. What will happen when they learn that they aren't just in love?
1. Introduction

Hey there! Missed me? I know you did

It's been a month and a half now. A bittersweet month and a half with Nik.

I go by Vie now. It's easier. Genevieve Salvatore was put to rest and Vie took her place.  
>Being with Nik, I became mayself again. I am ruthless, cruel, and manipulative. I kill whoever, and whenever, I want.<p>

I've been feeling better than ever. Being with Nik is like a full-time high.  
>There's just one thing missing. My brothers.<p>

They are my family. My life. And I miss them.  
>But I can't leave Nik. I feel like if I leave him, I will fall apart. Disappear into the night.<p>

What can I say? I'm falling for him.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Wrath of Vie

I stood predatorily in the shadows as I watched a woman walk out of her house and start calling for her dog. She whistled loudly, cupping her hand around her mouth yelling, "Rudy. Come on! It's too hot to make me come looking for you." She sighed then bent down to pick up a dog toy and I vamped in front of her. When she turned around she jumped back and clutched at her heart with shaky breaths. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I said beginning my sweet and innocent act.  
>She seemed wary of me, which I applauded her for. She knows about vampires. No surprise there. "Can I help you?" she asked rather rudely, I might add. I faked hurt at her rudeness and looked down shyly. "I'm sorry. I was on my way to visit my gran, and I ran out of gas a couple miles back. I feel like I've been walking for hours. May I use your phone?" I asked with a shy smile. "Don't you have a cell phone?" she asked, still not buying my innocent act. Frustrated I snapped back at her, "Would I ask to use your phone if I could use mine?" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pushed all the buttons, showing it was dead.<br>The woman sighed then nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she said turning and walking towards the door. "So, I can come in?" I asked with hope in my voice. She turned to me with a glare, causing a look of surprise and fake fear to cover my face. For a split second, a look of regret was in her eyes, but the glare came back to her face as she shook her head. "No, I'll get the phone and I'll bring it out to you." I immediately glared back at her, causing her face to fill with shock. "I thought you country folks were supposed to be more trusting," I said annoyed. "I'm from Florida." I laughed at her then vamped forward and grabbed her by the throat. "Well, that explains it. Now show me a little southern hospitality and invite me in," I said compelling her.  
>We walked into the kitchen as a brunette was placing food onto two plates. "I bet you a hundred dollars that dog ran off to a house with air conditioning," she said laughing then turned to see me and the blonde girl from outside. "What's going on?" she asked. I smiled warmly at her, causing some tension to leave her shoulders. "Please don't be scared. I was just looking for Ray Sutton." "He's almost never here. He's on the road mostly." I nodded my head then shrugged my shoulders. "But I expect he makes it home, once a month," I said showing my signature smirk. The brunette froze as shock filled her eyes. "That's what I thought. Where is he now?" I asked, receiving no reply from either of the two girls. I gave a dark chuckle. "Trust me, if I have to make you tell me, it's going to be infinitely more painful for you."<br>Scared, she ran out of the kitchen, opening the front door to run out, but was stopped by Nik. She screamed as I dragged the blonde with me up behind the brunette. "I love it when they run!" Nik shouted with a wicked grin on his face. The brunette, looking frightened, turned to me with pleading eyes. "He's in Toll. It's near the border. A bar called Southern Comfort. It's on Highway 41." I gave her a feigned kind face and gently placed my hand on her cheek. "Thank you darling," I said then grabbed a lock of the blonde's hair. "Now, may my friend come in?" The blonde cried in fear and nodded her head, whimpering out a shaky, "Yes." The brunette turned to the blonde with incredulous eyes as Nik stepped into their house.  
>He circled us with a smirk on his face, showing his adorable dimples. I stared dazedly at him as he said something to me that I didn't catch. "Vie," he said snapping me out of my daze. I blushed and watched him as he smirked and gently rubbed the blonde's cheek, causing jealousy to riot inside me. Noticing my reaction he gave me, a rare, gentle smile, and pulled me into his arms. "Kill that one," he said whispering in my ear and leaving a gentle kiss on my neck. I bit on my bottom lip to refrain from moaning as the brunette watched us appalled. He pulled back and turned to the brunette with an evil smirk. "Make that one suffer. I'll be in the car," he said as he walked out and I smirked at my new prey.<p>

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>Damon's POV<br>I sat in my bath tub, holding a bottle of champagne, as Andie did her make-up. I went to pour myself some more, but the bottle was empty, causing me to groan. "We're out of champagne," I told Andie, but she just shook her head. "Huh. No, you are out of champagne; I don't drink in the morning." I gave her a sexy smirk and held out the bottle to her. "Well, would you be a dear and get…" "I think you can probably get it yourself. I'm not your slave." She said interrupting me and causing me to groan as I got out of the tub. She gave me an incredulous look as she looked slightly frustrated. "You're dripping." "Mhm."  
>I walked downstairs just as Stefan and Elena walked into the boarding house. "Good morning," I said with a smirk on my face. They both turned, "Hey, I was gunna…" Elena started but stopped as Stefan jumped in front of her to block her view. "Damon, you knew we were here!" he yelled grabbing a towel and throwing it to me. He glared at me as I put it on then stepped into place beside Elena. Stefan continued to glare then his face softened as he let out a sigh. "Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check," Elena said as she pulled out a note. "Memphis," Stefan said.<br>I could see the hope in his eyes, and I knew it showed in mine, but I kept my unbelieving façade. "Another dead end you mean." "You don't know that," Stefan said. I walked up to them both and gave them a serious look. "You're right. This could be the one. After almost two months, this could be the one clue that tells us that Gene is alive and well and living in Graceland." Stefan glared me and took the note from Elena. "Fine, I'll go by myself." I sped in front of him and took the note from his hands. "Right, and let Klaus know you're tracking him. He thinks she's dead," I said pointing to Elena. "Let's keep it that way." Elena walked to Stefan's side and held onto his hand. "It's a new lead Damon; we haven't had one in a while." "Okay, I'll check it out. If I find anything I'll call you," I said as Stefan gave a sigh of relief.  
>I walked up the stairs and to my room, straight to my closet. I opened the door to show a map with all the notes of the leads we've had so far. I pinned it to the location and let out a sigh. "They moved to Tennessee." Andie came up and hugged me with her arms around my waist, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Huh, that fluttered victim you had me looking into has family in Tennessee." I narrowed my eyes at the map, thinking. "Which one? Pensacola?" "Aha," she said stepping back and kissing me on the cheek. "Up for a road trip?" She shook her head and smiled at me. "Ha, no can do, I have to work. But I can see if I can get you an address," she said as I pulled her into a kiss. "See you at the party," she said walking out. "Get me that address!"<p>

Vie's POV  
>I walked into the bar called Southern Comfort and looked around for my target. I smirked and used my magic to tap into the minds of everyone in the bar at once, compelling them to ignore anything abnormal that happens today. I walked to the bar and leaned on it at Ray's side. "Bourbon, please," I said to the bartender. I saw, from the corner of my eye, that he was checking me out. I gave a girlish giggle and looked down at the bar as my long, now blonde hair became a curtain around me. I turned to him and gave a flirty smile, "Hey there. You Ray? Ray Sutton?" He smirked at me while continuing to openly check me out. "Who wants to know?" "I do," Nik said stepping behind me and placing a possessive arm around my waist. I smirked at his jealousy as Ray glared at him.<br>"I've been looking everywhere for you. We started in Florida, Pensacola. I met a young chap there who you used to work with before you moved to Memphis. Now, he directed me to two lovely young women. And they led me here, to you." Ray kept up his glare, but you could see the fear in his eyes. "I think I'll be going," he said getting off of his stool as I sped to block his path. "Not so fast there," I said placing a gentle hand on his chest, causing Nik to growl and scare the crap out of Ray. "Your type is very hard to come by," he said as I pushed him to sit on the stool. "This little beauty and I are a different kind of monster. We both have some vampire. Now my little Vie here has some witch as well. I however, have some wolf."  
>"What?" he asked looking both frightened and disgusted for flirting with me. "Hybrids, Ray. You see, Nik wants to create more of his kind. Now you being the first werewolf that we've come across in many a moon, pun intended Ray, we need you to direct us to your pack," I said as I walked over and sat in Nik's arms. He immediately pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me, trying to be as close to each other as possible. Still, the mere brush of his skin against mine and I felt sparks running through my body. Yet, lately I've been feeling something different. I know that I love him, but it almost seems as if we're connected. I can feel his presence in a crowd of strangers. I can feel his emotions and I always know what he is thinking. And there is always this pull in my body. Something pulling me to him, as if I never wanted to leave his side. Just thinking about leaving him, I felt my heart breaking. I felt my senses dulling. Nothing would matter if he wasn't here with me.<br>"So, where can I find them Ray?" Nik questioned. "You can't compel me, it won't work," Ray said bravely, causing me to smirk. "Now you see Ray, being half witch, I can do whatever I want." The color faded from his face as he realized he was doomed, causing me to smirk. "But, I like to have some fun," I said as I stood up. At first, Nik pulled me back into his lap with a light groan. I could feel the pull in me, begging to stay in his arms. But this must be done. I finally got up and pulled a plant out of my back pocket, showing it to the werewolf. "Darts," I said to the bartender while extending my hand to him. The man placed them in my waiting hand and I pulled my drink closer to me. "Tell you what Ray. We're going to play a little drinking game. Something I like to call truth or wolf's bane," I said crushing the plant in my hand and pouring it in my bourbon. From behind me I heard Nik chuckle and say, "Oh, this is going to be fun Ray."

Damon's POV  
>Ric and I were driving in my car to Memphis. The whole way there I drove, trying to keep my mind calm and focused. Another lead and I still had the same rise of hope. Hope that I would find her. My little love sold her soul to the devil to save my life. Although, I'm pretty sure she's enjoying her time, since she loves that bastard. I need her back. Not having her here is frustrating. She was the only person I could turn to.<br>We pulled up to the address Andie gave me, and I parked the car. As I was getting out, my phone went off causing me to groan. I pulled it from my pocket and checked who it was and let out another groan. Stefan. I immediately ignored it and shoved my phone in my pocket, walking to the front door. "Stefan?" Ric asked walking up to my side. I made a face at him as he said, "I don't know why you just don't come clean and tell him where we are." I sighed then ran my hand through my hair. "Because Andie said this was a half lead and I don't want to get his hopes up." "Yeah, well they're all half-leads, and I'm your accomplice. What do you want me to say to them? I'm practically living with Elena, and Stefan is always over" "Still sleeping on the couch?" I asked as we both looked around for any signs of life. "You know, I keep waiting for them to kick me out, but they don't. I don't know why, it's not like I'm helping or anything." "Mm-mm."  
>We stopped in front of the door and listened. There was nothing but silence. "It's quiet," Ric whispered. "Yeah. Too quiet." Ric opened the door and stepped inside as I tested it with my foot. There was no barrier, so I was free to walk in. "Oh yeah," I said with a smirk as I closed the door. We both began to look around, but when I walked into the living room I saw the bodies of two girls. One was a brunette and the other was a blonde. All their limbs were ripped off but placed back like a puzzle. Ric walked into the living room after me and immediately looked disgusted when he saw the bodies. "Ugh. Vampire for sure." I shook my head while staring at the bodies. "Gene, for sure." "How do you know?" he asked puzzled.<br>I walked up to the bodies and pointed out the tally marks scratched into the skin on their chests. "Gene rips them apart like Stefan used to. She also puts them back together like he did, but he did it out of guilt. She just likes to make it seem like a psychotic killer. These tally marks are her signature. She marks the number of the kill. This was her one hundredth and first victim." Ric walked over and looked at the scratches. "She likes to keep track?" I nodded my head as I walked out of the house and looked around for some gas.  
>I found a tank and walked back inside, pouring it over everything to burn the house down. "What are you doing?" "Covering their tracks. Clearly they have no interest in staying in the dark, but I do." He stepped back so I could poor more gasoline, but when he took a step the floor creaked. We looked down at it, and then up at each other, as he bent down and removed the rug that was lying there. There was a hidden trap door. I put the tank of gas down, opened the door and looked into it, to see that it was full of chains. "Well, what do you know? Werewolves." Ric closed the door as I lit a match and threw it on the ground. We walked out as the house went up in flames, and I felt slightly better about this lead. Now, I had real hope.<p>

Niklaus' POV  
>Vie had chained the werewolf to a wall and began throwing wolf's bane dipped darts at him. I smirked as he continuously cried out in pain. She sat at a table across from him, dipping another dart into the wolf's bane, and then threw it at him. I was slightly upset that she wasn't sitting in my lap while she threw the darts, but I tried to push that feeling away. I was growing too attached. I was being possessive and jealous. The signs of love. I couldn't love her.<br>Yet, I longed to have her by my side, or in my arms, every hour of the day. Seeing her smile is like seeing the world light up on the fourth of July. Her tears, her sadness, were enough to send me in a rage at whoever had caused them. If they were my fault, I would do anything to make her smile again. Worst of all, was the feeling I got when the men around her watched her with lust in their eyes. It was the most vicious anger I've ever felt and all it took was to see her smile at me, to laugh, to touch me, and I would be the happiest man on this Earth. I knew I was falling in love, and no matter how much I wished to fight it, I couldn't.  
>"Ray," she said grabbing for another dart and breaking me from my thoughts. "You can end this right now. Just tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon." I studied her various features as she continued her interrogation. I loved how her hair fell in waves around her. Her tan skin contrasted her now blonde hair perfectly. Although I loved her as a brunette, she will always be the most radiant creature to me. Her eyes shined with a dark happiness that only torture brought to them. I smiled as I seemed to have caught her attention. She turned to me with questioning eyes and I simply shook my head at her, indicating nothing was wrong, and she smiled gorgeously at me. That smile. It brightened my darkest of days.<br>Just then Claudine walked in and continued straight towards me. Vie seemed to have noticed and listened in on the conversation, but continued with the interrogation. "Hello master Klaus. I have some information for you. You told me to tell you if I saw anything. Well, Damon Salvatore was spotted at the farm house." I nodded my head at her then said, "Well thank you dear. You just tell your friends to keep up the good work." He was getting closer. If he found us she would go to him. She would leave me. I could not let that happen. She was mine. When Claudine left the bar, Vie walked over to me with a slightly worried face. "My brother is still on our trail?" I gave her a sad smile and nodded my head as I pulled her into my arms and tucked her head under my chin.  
>The feel of her body against mine calmed my worries. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't betray me. "He's getting closer. I'm going to have to deal with that." She pulled away and grabbed my face, making me look into her worried eyes. "No, no, no. Let me handle it," she begged. Here it was. She was dying to leave my side. My face became emotionless as I removed her hands from my face and held them in between us. "Why should I let you leave?" I asked, the lack of trust apparent in my voice. She looked slightly hurt and rested her head against our intertwined hands. "Don't do that. Don't push me away. You know I'll come back," she said looking at me with pleading eyes. "Do I?" She gave a frustrated sigh then slowly, all emotion drained from her face.<br>"You saved my brother's life. I'm at your service." I closed my eyes, hurt by her words. Even though I knew I deserved them. "You and I both know that isn't the only reason you stayed by my side all summer," I said placing my hand on her cheek and giving her sorry eyes. She turned away and began to walk to the entrance of the bar. That was a stab through the heart. She looked over at me with those emotionless eyes I hated so much before exiting and said, "I'll make sure that my brother doesn't bother us anymore."

Damon's POV  
>I got back to the boarding house to see that there were already people here, but Stefan and Elena weren't mingling. Elena was probably getting ready still. I walked into Stefan's room to see that he wasn't in here, but Elena was standing in front of the mirror wearing one of the dresses we kept in the attic. "Don't worry; I'm not going to lose it. At least not before the cake," she said causing me to smirk at her. "It's your party," I said walking towards her. "Ah, Stefan. Such a pack rat," I said looking down at a picture frame. I picked it up to see a picture of Stefan and Elena, causing me to frown slightly. I put it down and then looked back at her. "I got you something. I know I promised not to buy you anything, so don't worry, I didn't pay for it." She looked shocked at what I had just said, causing me to smirk again. "You stole it?" "No!" I picked up a small box as I noticed we were only inches apart. "I found it." I opened the box and inside of it was Elena's necklace. "My necklace. I thought I'd never see it again." "Alaric found it in his loft. I thought you'd be happy to have it back." "I am happy. Thank you." "You're welcome," I said with a genuine smile. She smiled back at me then held it out to me. "Can you?" "Absolutely."<br>She turned around, pulling up her hair so I could put it on her. When I finished she let her hair fall down her back and turned to me. I grabbed a strand of her hair and held it in my fingers. It was almost the same color as Gene's. My eyes watered a bit as I thought of my little sister. My partner in crime. She would have loved this party.  
>Just then, Stefan walked in and looked at me. "Damon, you okay?" He asked stepping closer to me. I nodded my head and let go of Elena's hair as she looked at me with worried eyes. "Damon, I know you miss her," he said standing by Elena's side and facing me. I looked at him with angry eyes. "What do you know? You have someone to help you through this. Genevieve was the person that would help me through everything. And now, it's my fault she's gone!" I yelled as Stefan gave me a sympathetic look. "You and I both know she wouldn't want you to feel this way. Especially because of her." I shook my head and stormed out of the room as I heard Stefan sigh.<br>I walked downstairs to the party and saw a young girl walking by with a bottle in her hand. "Oh, hey, hey, hey, hey. You don't want that," I said compelling her. "You want the cheap young stuff over by the cheap young people." She walked away as I walked out the back door and onto the balcony for some fresh air. I sat there for a minute when Ric came out and sat next to me then said, "I am every parent's worst nightmare. I am the chaperone teacher from hell." I laughed at him then said, "I love high school parties." "Isn't Andie supposed to be coming?" I waved his question away then took a sip of my bourbon. "She has a ten o'clock broadcast. Should be here in a little bit."  
>A few minutes later, Elena came outside looking mildly frustrated. "Hello birthday girl!" I said trying to cheer her up. She ignored my feeble attempt and stuck her hand out. "Drink!" She then proceeded to take my cup and drink about half of it. "Jeremy's smoking again." I was slightly intrigued by that. "Is his stash any good?" I asked, with a teasing smirk. She gave me the evil eye then shook her head. "You're an ass," she said, then turned to Ric. "Talk to him, please. He looks up to you." She gave me back my drink then walked away as I began to laugh at Ric. "You're screwed." He looked a bit confused as to what he was actually supposed to do and let out a whiney, "Aww."<p>

Vie's POV  
>I stood in the shadows of Studio 9 as I watched Andie talking on the phone and walking through the studio. "Yeah. Uhuh. Uhuh," she said as she waved to a man passing by. "Uhuh. Okay, I am the last person here again. Days of work, please can we do this in the morning? I have a party I have to get to, and you have to get a life! Okay, Alright. Bye," she said hanging up. Hmm. A party. That sounds fun. She walked onto the stage and picked up her bag then turned to leave the studio. I vamped to a stage light and turned it on, aiming it directly on her.<br>"Hello?" she asked holding a hand up in front of her eyes. "Not cool. My retinas are burning," she said causing me to silently chuckle. I always did like her. Too bad. She tried to step out of the light, but I just turned it towards her. "Okay, okay. Seriously who'd…? What the hell are you doing?" I stayed silent then turned off the light, effectively scaring her. "Hello?" she asked again then turned to start running. She tripped over a wire, dumbass, and I turned the light back on. Then I vamped to stand in front of it, so all she could see was a silhouette. She got up again and tried to run, but I rushed in front of her and blocked her path.  
>When she saw me she looked shocked and then relieved, putting a hand on her chest to steady her heart. "OH! Genevieve?! Oh my god! Oh my god, what are you doing here? We have been looking everywhere for you!" I stayed silent and looked at her with no emotion. "Gene?" She seemed to be getting scared at my emotionless state and I smiled sinisterly, showing my true face, and then said, "I go by Vie, now."<p>

Damon's POV  
>I was still sitting outside when I got a message from Andie. "Andie wants me to pick her up," I said looking down at my phone. Ric laughed, pleased by the situation. "Your fake, compelled girlfriend wants you to be a chivalrous boyfriend." I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders, standing up to leave and said, "Well, it's a complicated dynamic." He nodded his head at me taking a sip of his bourbon. "Yeah." "Well, hold the fort down, will you?" "You mean the fort full of my drunken history students?" he asked sighing and gesturing to the house. I gave him a pat on the back then said, "Drink more. You'll feel less weird," then jumped off the balcony and left.<p>

I walked into the dark studio and looked around for Andie. It was silent, so maybe she had just gone ahead without me? "Andie?" I yelled, but got no answer. Breaking the silence, my phone rang and I looked at it to see that it was Stefan. I answered it and continued to look around. "Party Central." "Where the hell are you, Damon?" I rolled my eyes, trying to think of an excuse. If they found out I left, I wouldn't hear the end of it. "Umm, by the punch bowl." "Don't lie to me Damon! I saw your closet," he said sternly. I sighed, "Oh… Oh, I have to go break up beer pong." "Wait, Damon!" was all I heard before I hung up the phone.  
>I continued to look around when I saw Andie's purse lying on the floor. "Gene," I said bending down to pick it up. "Hey Day. It's actually Vie, now," I heard her say from behind me I turned to her in rage and sadness, and saw that she had an apologetic face. "You don't write. You don't call," I began but she interrupted me. "I need you to stop following me, Day. You're causing some… problems." I looked at her incredulously. "With who? Klaus? Sorry, am I ruining your honeymoon?" "Damon," she said running to me and wrapping her arms around my neck.<br>Instinctively, I wrapped mine around her waist and pulled her into a hug. "I know you're lonely. I know you miss me. Believe me; I miss you and Steffie more than anything. But you need to let me go," she mumbled into my chest. "I saw your latest artwork in Tennessee. I can't save you if you go on a binge like that." She pulled away and looked at me with sad and serious eyes. "I don't need to be saved, Damon. I just need you to let me go." "Sorry, I got a brother at home that's not going to let me do that." She nodded her head and put her arms down at her side then looked at the ground.  
>"I'm sorry to do this Damon, but I need to make my point. Hey, Andie you still there?" I looked at her questioningly as I saw her look up. I followed her line of sight to see Andie standing on a platform that was suspended in mid-air about three or four stories up. "Andie?" "Damon? I can't move, Damon. She told me that I can't move," she said frantically. "No, no, no, it's okay, Andie. Stay calm," I said trying to calm her, and then turned to look at an emotionless Genevieve. "Not cool sister!"<br>She gave me a Salvatore smirk then said, "Aw, come on! A little bit cool. Huh? Hey, Andie. You can move now," she said crossing her arms and watching Andie intently. "No! No, no, no, no, no. NO!" I yelled trying to run to help her, but Genevieve pinned me to the wall. I watched helplessly as Andie fell off the platform and hit the ground. I stared at her lifeless body, shocked. This was not my Genevieve. My Genevieve would not hurt an innocent life. This was someone else. This was "Vie." She grabbed my neck and began to squeeze giving me sad, yet angry eyes. "I said let me go!" she yelled flashing me her witch face. She let go and I immediately ran over to Andie. She was dead. I looked back to where Gene had stood, but she was already gone.

If I get 50 hearts by November 1st I will update twice :)  
>Happy reading!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2 - Smokey Mountain Setback

Damon's POV  
>I slowly pushed through the crowd of drunken teenagers and trudged up to my room. I walked in to see Stefan standing there glaring at me with his arms crossed. "What? What do you want?" I asked exasperated. I've had enough of my younger siblings for today. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?" he asked frustrated. I shook my head at this and put a hand up to stop him from talking further. "Can we not do this right now? I'm having a really bad night." "All summer, every single time Elena and I came to you with a lead; you made me feel like an idiot for having hope." I turned to him glaring and shook my head, "You were an idiot. We both were." He put his hands down at his side and walked up to me with a serious look. "Tell me what you know, Damon" "I know you need to get back to Elena, Stefan"<br>I walked to my closet and started tearing down the map of leads. Stefan shook his head then turned me around, looking at me like I was a child throwing a tantrum. "We're supposed to be in this together. Why didn't you tell me that you've been tracking Klaus' victims?" I pulled away from him, laughing and grabbing a bottle of bourbon I kept in my room. "You don't know? They're not Klaus' victims, Stefan, they're Gene's!" I yelled at him while pouring myself a glass. "What?" he asked looking at me incredulously. He didn't believe me. Heck, I wouldn't believe me. But unfortunately, I was the reason this happened before. It was only once, but it happened.  
>I took a long drink then began pacing back-and-forth as Stefan watched me. "She's left a trail of body parts up and down the eastern seaboard." He seemed shocked. He probably thought she was a ripper. "No, you're wrong. Genevieve would never hurt innocent people!" "Not unless she was given motivation," I said looking at him somberly. I sighed and took another drink of my bourbon then looked back at Stefan. He had sat down on my bed and was clutching at his hair, trying to make sense of it all. "I've seen it happen before. She's not like you. She's not a ripper. She does it for fun. Tears them apart while they're still alive, make it look like a serial killer. She enjoys hearing their screams." "Stop it, Damon," he said as he put his head in his hands, tearing up.<br>"No, you stop it, Stefan! Stop looking for her. Stop waiting for her to come home. Just stop! Genevieve is gone and she's not coming back. Not in this century." I walked out of the room and down the stairs. I need more booze.

Vie's POV  
>I walked into the bar and saw Ray laying on the pool table, Nik standing over him. "Okay, it's a three step process, Ray. This is step one. I want you to drink from my wrist," he said explaining the process. "I already told you where to find the pack. What more do you want from me?" he asked as I walked up to the bar and asked for another glass of bourbon. The bartender handed me my drink as I quickly took a long swig and wolfed it all down. "Have you been listening to a word I've been saying, Ray? I have great plans for you," he said cutting his wrist and forcing Ray to drink his blood. He smirked down at him then said, "You'll thank me for it later, huh."<br>Ray whimpered in fear as Nik stood above him and sent me a small smile. I smiled back at him, showing that I wasn't upset with him anymore. "What are you going to do now?" Ray asked, interrupting our small moment. "It's time for step two, Ray," Nik said as I sped over and snapped the werewolf's neck. I gave a small sigh of relief. That helped my sadness a bit. "You're back," Nik said opening his arms to me. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his waist as he hugged me. "Did you doubt me?" "Not for a second. I knew you'd return. But I also know you miss them, your old life." I pulled out of his hug and nodded my head. "Of course I miss them. They're my family. But that doesn't change the fact that I promised to stay by your side. I won't betray your trust Nik."  
>He smiled down at me and placed a hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb across my lips, I stood patiently, hoping he would kiss me. Slowly, he leaned down to my height, but just as he was about to press his lips against mine, he moved his head and placed a gentle kiss on my neck. I let out a light moan as I tilted my head sideways giving him better access. I could feel him smile against my neck as he nibbled on it softly, causing me to let out another moan. Tired of hunching over, Nik picked me up and placed me on the pool table so that I was now eye-level with him. He began to kiss my neck again when I felt the light scratching of his fangs against my skin. My eyes widened in shock, but instead of being afraid, I was yearning to feel them imbedded in my veins.<br>I placed my hand on his head and lightly pushed it closer to my neck, giving him the sign that it was alright. He pulled away then looked into my eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked me hesitantly. I smiled gently at him then nodded my head, not trusting my voice at the moment. He returned his mouth to my neck and placed a light kiss over my vein before slowly sinking his fangs into my neck. I let out a loud moan as I felt my blood flowing into his mouth and I could hear a pleased growl coming from Nik's throat as he held onto me and pulled me as close to him as possible. The feeling of his fangs in my throat was like nothing I ever felt. I was at an all-time high. Everything around me seemed beautiful and every little touch sent me into ecstasy.  
>Slowly, I felt myself weaken. I moaned out his name, telling him that he should stop, as I clutched onto him to keep myself steady. He slowly pulled his fangs out of my neck, licking the blood away and keeping his arms wrapped around me for support. I limply fell into Nik's arms and closed my eyes, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat. "Are you alright my little vie?" he asked, slightly worried he might have drank too much of my blood. I nodded my head as he placed me down on a chair, and then went to grab a human for me to drink from. "Here darling, drink," he said holding their neck in front of my face.<br>Slowly, I leaned forward then sharply inserted my fangs into the wailing human's neck. I felt the veins underneath my eyes show themselves as I drank until the man was dead. Wiping my mouth, I stood up smiling and feeling ten times better. "Thank you Nik," I said giving him a shy smile. He pulled me into his arms and buried his head in my neck. "Anything for you, darling," he whispered in my ear. I shivered as his breath hit my neck and got on my tiptoes. I put my mouth against his neck as he stiffened, and lightly ran my fangs across his skin. He let out a groan as I smiled against his neck and left a light kiss on his vein.  
>"I'm going to get some fresh air," I giggled out. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead then nodded his head. "Don't go too far, we're leaving soon." I nodded my head then walked outside. I got out my phone and stared at it for a minute, then dialed one of the two numbers I have committed to memory. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br>Stefan's POV  
>I walked out of my bathroom holding a towel around my waist with one hand. With the other, I slowly shook my damp hair, getting out all the excess water. I threw the towel in my hamper and went to my wardrobe, getting out a pair of boxers and sweats. I put them both on and had started towards my bed to lay down when I heard my phone vibrating. I answered it then put it to my ear, but I couldn't hear any sound, except for a few silent and shaky breaths. I looked back at my phone to see that it was a blocked number then put it back to my ear.<br>"Hello?" I asked, getting no reply. "Hello?" I asked one more time and heard a small whimper. I froze, knowing full well who it was. "Gene? Gene, if this is you, I promise you, you'll be okay. I love you Genevieve. Damon loves you. No matter what happens we'll always be here for you. Never forget that," I said as I heard her shaky breathing turn to soft sobs. After a few seconds I heard her whisper out, "I love you Steffie," then hang up.  
>I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair. She's okay. That's all I need to know. I felt my eyes water as I put my phone back onto my desk. Slowly, I walked to my bed and lay down under the covers. I laid there for a few minutes thinking about Gene, then all at once, I fell asleep.<p>

Damon's POV  
>I sat on my bed in my room drinking bourbon and watching the TV. I sighed sadly as they announced Andie's death. I took another drink as Stefan walked in. "Just can't stop, can you?" I asked him as I got up and turned to pour myself some more bourbon. "You've been dodging me." "Yeah, well, busy dating a dead, fake girlfriend and all," I said shrugging my shoulders and turning back to look at Stefan. He had his arms crossed and had a serious face. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked uncrossing his arms and gesturing towards the TV. "Great party, Stefan. Gene killed Andie. Cake?" I said showing the idiocy in that statement while rolling my eyes.<br>"She called me, Damon," he said with sad eyes. I looked at him shocked and was suddenly at a loss of words. "What?" I asked disbelievingly. "Gene called me last night." "Well, what'd she say?" "She didn't really say much, but it was her. I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call. It came from Tennessee." I sighed and took a drink of my bourbon. When will he understand? "Yeah, where she's playing psychotic killer in the country. We went through this, Stefan. Genevieve is gone. I don't mean geographically," I said shaking my head at him. "She wouldn't have called if she was gone, Damon," he said then left me alone in my room. I sat on my bed and put my head in my hands as my eyes filled with tears I refused to let fall. I can't take this anymore. Gene, please come back.

Vie's POV  
>Nik and I were walking through the smokey mountains looking for the wolf pack. I was carrying an unconscious Ray on my back as Nik kept looking my way. "You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" he asked me with a worried face. I giggled at him and shook my head then said," I'm fine." He continued looking at me with worried eyes as I tried to suppress more giggles. "You sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down…" "Nik, I'm fine," I said with a reassuring smile. He nodded his head just as we arrived at a camp ground full of werewolves.<br>I entered the camp and threw Ray on the floor in front of me as a woman rushed over to him. "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?" she asked me with terrified eyes. I gave a smirk as Nik stepped next to me, placing a hand around my shoulders with a smirk of his own. "The important question is who am I? Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus." At the mention of his name, all color fell from the woman's face as she looked between Nik and I. "You're the hybrids," she said terrified. I giggled at her fear as Nik smiled and nodded his head. "You've heard of us. Fantastic."

Stefan's POV  
>After I left Damon's room, I walked out of the boarding house and to Alaric's apartment. Damon might have given up on Gene, but I won't. When I arrived at Ric's apartment, I knocked on the door. I heard Ric yell, "Go away, Damon!" Of course he thought I was Damon. He and Damon had been checking up on all the leads all summer. I knocked again, harder this time. After a few seconds he opened the door and seemed shocked. "Hey," I said to him. "You're uh… Not who I expected," he said scratching his head awkwardly. I nodded my head at him, "I need you to tell me what you know about Gene and Tennessee."<br>He moved aside, letting me walk in then closed the door behind me. "Did you miss the part where I checked out of all this?" he said then gave a sigh. I looked at him pleadingly then said, "Come on, Ric. Whatever Damon knows, you know." He shook his head then ran his hand through his hair, trying and failing to tame his bed head. "Ask Damon," he said. I let out a frustrated sigh and shook my head. "I tried, but Damon's not exactly in the mood to help right now." "For good reason. Because Gene doesn't want to be helped. She doesn't want to be saved." I shook my head at him. "That's not true. She wants to come back. She misses us," I said getting frustrated and clenching my jaw. "And what makes you so sure?" he asked crossing his arms. "Because I know my sister. Sure, she loves that bastard. Sure, she is having fun. Sure, she might not want to be saved. But she does miss us. She does want to come home!" Ric shook his head then looked down at the ground, placing his hands on his hips, contemplating whether he should tell me or not. After a minute of silence he gave out a sigh and looked up at me. "They've been tracking werewolves, she and Klaus. All over the eastern seaboard. We thought we had them outside of Memphis…"

Ric and I came to the Grill and I called Tyler to ask for his help. If they were tracking werewolves by Memphis, then maybe he would know where we could find a pack of wolves. I sat down in a booth as Ric sat at the bar and waited patiently for Tyler. When he arrived, I waved at him as he waved back and came to sit with me. "Hey, so you said you needed my help?" I pursed my lips and nodded my head, beginning to tell him about the werewolves. "We have a lead on finding Genevieve. We found out that her and Klaus are tracking werewolves and were wondering if you might have an idea where they would find a pack." He nodded his head and thought for a minute then said, "A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up. But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places where they don't have to do that. Where they can enjoy it." "What kind of places?" I said furrowing my brow and trying to figure out if there were certain areas they would be in Tennessee. Tyler shrugged his shoulders then thought for a minute. "Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff." "Anywhere in Tennessee?" I asked. "Yeah, here, give me your phone," he said outstretching his hand as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I handed it to him as he said, "I'll try to pull up a map."  
>I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as he worked on my phone. "Thanks for this. I know it's asking a lot." He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a small smile before continuing to look for the map. "As Caroline likes to remind me, Gene's in this mess because I bit Damon. I figure I owe you one," he said then stopped what he was doing. He gave me a curious glance then looked down. "Have you talked to her today?" I shook my head then gave him a curious glance of my own, "No. Why?" A flash of hurt went through his eyes as he looked down with a frown. (That rhymed!) "Just curious. Here," he said handing me back my phone. "That's your best bet." "Thanks," I said then got up and walked over to Ric.<br>"Did you get anything?" he asked as he took another sip of his bourbon. "How do you feel about a little hike through the Smokey Mountains?" I asked with a smirk on my face. He looked at me shocked then shook his head. "You want to hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?" I shrugged my shoulders then ordered a drink for myself. "We'll be out of there before the moon is full. I'm going. With or without you."  
>Just then Elena stood in front of us with a smile and we watched her, wondering if she heard everything. "And I'm coming," she said crossing her arms. I looked at her for a moment then sighed and nodded my head as I took a sip from my drink. Ric looked between us shocked with his mouth hanging open. "A-all right fine. Let's just… Let's just go. But, uh, you're driving," he said pointing to me and standing up to leave.<p>

Vie's POV  
>After introducing ourselves to the pack of werewolves, Nik and I sat down on a log as everyone watched us carefully. I leaned my head against his shoulder lazily and listened to the sounds of the wildlife around us. "It's fascinating, actually… A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon. A vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid." Just then, Ray woke up with a start, panting and looking around at his surroundings. "Excellent timing, Ray," Nik said with a wide grin. "A bit dramatic," I said rolling my eyes as Nik turned to me with a "really?" face. I shrugged my shoulders as Ray began to panic. "What's happening to me?" "Vie?" Nik said gesturing to me to take the reins.<br>I stood up then looked around me at the pack. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die." I said crossing my arms with a smirk. "Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?" Nik added as I looked around then stopped and stared at a man. "You," I said rushing over to him and biting into his forearm. I threw him in front of Ray just as a woman began to protest. With one hand, I held the bleeding man down. I turned to look at the woman, revealing my witch face and smirked at her. "Do you have something to say?" I asked her. She shook under my smirk and shakily whimpered out "no." "Good, now stand there and shut up," I said compelling her. She stood quietly as everyone around us stared in fear. Except for Nik, who was sending me a flirty smile, causing me to laugh.  
>I turned back to Ray who was shaking his head at the bloody man's arm. I sighed and rolled my now normal eyes. "If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is I don't stop." Behind me, I heard Nik speaking to the rebellious woman. "It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die." "I'd rather die than be a vampire," she spat at him as I rolled my eyes. "Wrong choice," Nik said then bit into his wrist and force-fed the woman as Ray finally began to drink the blood. Suddenly I heard the vicious snap of a neck and a body fall to the ground. "She'll thank me for that later." I turned to him with a smirk as Ray continued to drink the man's blood. "Okay, who's next?" he asked showing his hybrid face and baring his fangs.<p>

Stefan's POV  
>Elena, Ric and I were hiking through the mountains, when Ric stopped and pointed to a ridge close by. "In a couple hours, the full moon's going to rise just above that ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack will be." Elena gave him a teasing smile then said, "You were a boy scout, weren't you?" I laughed at that comment and added, "A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?" Ric rolled his eyes at us then continued walking. "Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause." Elena and I looked at each other rolling our eyes. He didn't realize his own worth. We continued for a few minutes when Ric stopped again, pulling off his bag and opening it. "Wow. You came stocked," Elena said seeing the various weapons Ric had. He looked up at her for a second then continued rummaging through his bag. "Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching. Here," he said pulling out a grenade, then handing it to Elena. "Put that in your bag."<br>I looked at him questioningly. "A vervain grenade?" He closed his bag then slung it over his shoulder shaking his head. "Wolf's bane." My eyes widened in shock as I nodded my head. "Well, since we're exchanging gifts…" she said reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Gilbert ring. "That's John Gilbert's ring," he said pointing at it. She shook her head and extended her hand out to him. "It was yours once. Go ahead. Take it. It'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into." He shook his head then pushed her hand away gently. "He gave it to you." "Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gunna work on me. He left it for if I ever have kids." He nodded his head, as I grabbed a bottle of water for a drink, then said, "Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" I choked on my drink, spitting it out into the air, as I coughed and laughed both at the same time. "Okay and how about you borrow it until after we survive this? I'd feel bad if I got you killed before happy hour," Elena countered with a smirk.  
>He took the ring from her with a smirk as well as she stepped closer to the water. "I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause," she said as Damon appeared and threw her in the water. Ric, reacting as a hunter, put up his crossbow, then lowered it when he saw it was Damon. I however, shook my head at him with crossed arms, "Was that necessary?" I asked as he shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "Damon! How are you even here?" Elena asked from inside the water. Damon did his signature eye widening to smirk move then turned to Alaric and said, "Thanks for the tip, brother." Of course. Elena, however, turned to look at Ric with her mouth hanging open. "You sold us out!" "You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" he asked then turned to me, "Sorry Stefan." I shrugged my shoulders and waved my hand dismissively. Not like I didn't expect it.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I sat on the log as I watched Nik feed his blood to the human and compel him to feed the other wolves when they awoke. "There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gunna need you when the rest of them wake up." Off to the side of the grounds Ray sat hugging his legs to himself rocking back-and-forth. Not going to lie, he looked crazy. "They're dead. They're all dead," he repeated to himself over-and-over as I rolled my eyes. "Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon," he said walking over and sitting on the log, then pulling me into his lap. I smiled at him then leaned my head against his shoulder. "So is this your master plan? Build any army of hybrid slaves?" "No, not slaves. Soldiers, comrades." I sat up in his lap then looked at him curiously. "For what, might I ask?"<br>He chuckled happily then left a small peck on my lips. I smiled into his lips as I felt him do the same, then he pulled me to lean back in his arms again. "You don't arm yourself after a war has been declared, my little vie. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight." I giggled slightly then pecked his neck gently causing him to let out a soft moan. "What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" I asked then continued to kiss and nibble on his neck. "It's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team." I giggled at his cockiness when Ray cried out in pain, causing Nik and I to both turn to look at him.  
>He placed me gently down on the log as he stood and sped over to Ray. His eyes were bleeding, and Nik seemed worried. "Something's wrong," he said grabbing Ray's face and looking into his eyes. I tensed at this new turn of events. Was this a side effect because Elena was still alive? Nik was going to look into this. He was going to find out I lied. I had to figure out a way to fix this. Or I would lose him.<p>

Stefan's POV  
>Damon crossed his arms and looked impatiently at Elena, who was still in the river. "Get out of the water, Elena." "If I get out of the water, you're gunna make me go home." He nodded his head as I sighed. "Yes, because I'm not an idiot like you." "I'm with Damon on this one Elena. I don't think you're an idiot, but I think you should go back." "Right now, you're all acting like idiots," Ric said crossing his arms. Elena shook her head and said, "You gave up on her Damon." "Elena," I said warningly at her. She looked at me, shocked at the tone I took with her but I kept my eyes serious and shook my head. She looked down sadly as Damon said through gritted teeth, "I didn't give up on her, Elena. I faced reality. Now get out of the water."<br>"No!" she yelled again defiantly. "Elena, get out of the water," I said sternly and she looked at me with hurt eyes. "Now," I added still keeping up my stern façade. From the corner of my eyes I saw Damon looking impressed as he fist pumped the air as in saying "Go Stefan." "We're leaving. Damon and Ric are going to continue to look for Genevieve." "No, we can't leave. Stefan, this is the closest that we've been to her since she left. I'm not leaving yet." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair and nodded my head. "Fine. But once it starts getting dark, we're leaving." She nodded her head in understanding as Damon helped her out of the river and we continued on the hike.

Vie's POV  
>I sat with my legs crossed on the floor as Nik and I watched Ray shake, eyes still bleeding. "You said it was gunna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" he asked whimpering in pain. "Some master race," I giggled out teasingly. Nik turned to me with a stern face and crossed his arms. Seems he wasn't in the mood for jokes at the moment. "You find this funny?" he asked. I stopped giggling and raised my brows then turned to look at the other dead werewolves. Just then, the snarky she wolf woke up. "Derek, go feed your girlfriend," Nik said. The human slowly got up and went to feed the wolf when Ray snarled loudly and ran off.<br>Nik then turned to me, pointing in the direction he had just left, and said, "Go get him." I glared at him, crossing my arms and remained seated. "That was rude." He let out a frustrated sigh then rubbed his eyes. "Vie, would you please go get him?" he asked in a calmer tone. I smiled and stood up to follow Ray. When I passed Nik, I yanked his arm downward and pulled him to my height. He looked at me questioningly, and then I gave him a short, yet passionate kiss and left.  
>I ran off in the direction Ray left and saw him standing in a small clearing. I jumped on his back, pushing him onto the ground when he bit me. "Ouch," I said wincing away, giving him the opportunity to leave. I sighed and looked at my bite. It wasn't fatal, but it hurt like a bitch. I was about to turn to go after him when I heard familiar voices. "How you doing?" Stefan asked. I turned to see past the clearing onto a hill in the distance where Ric, Stefan, Damon and Elena were walking. "I'm fine," she said shortly. Oooo! Trouble in paradise, I thought while giggling. "You know, I could help you," Damon said with a smirk. "No thanks," Elena said shaking her head. "Just one little 'fwoosh,'" he said moving his hands into a superman pose. "Yeah, with my luck, you'd drop me." "What are you guys, twelve?" Ric asked, making me laugh. They were such dorks. I missed them, I thought, letting out a sigh.<br>Just then Nik walked into the clearing and I turned to him shocked. "Where did he go?" I looked around nervously then turned him so his back was to the hill. "He… uh… he got away. Forget him. Let's go," I said grabbing his arm and beginning to pull him away from the clearing. He let out a chuckle then looked at my arm, immediately stopping. He grabbed my arm, causing me to wince and inspected it. "A werewolf bite. Ouch." I nodded my head and said, "Yeah, I'm gunna need some blood to heal me." He nodded his head and leaned down, licking my wound. My face flushed in embarrassment, but I still enjoyed the feeling. His tongue was cool against my hot wound and it was relaxing. "Can you still go after Ray?" he asked worried. I gave him a soft smile and nodded my head. He returned the smile then gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and left to go back to the camp site.

Damon's POV  
>"We got about a mile left," Ric said as we hiked up a small hill. I turned to look at the horizon and said, "The sun's about to set." "I can see that, Damon," Elena said with a snarky tone. "I'm just saying," I said raising my hands up in surrender. "The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time." "Actually, Elena, I think we should go now," Stefan said. As she was about to reply to him there was a sound of twigs snapping. Then, a man came out of the bushes with bleeding eyes and snarled at us. He rushed over to me and I began to try and fight him off. He pushed me against a tree, trying to bit me as Alaric shot an arrow at him. I groaned as he continued to try and bite me, when Elena pulled out a wolf's bane grenade and threw it to me. "Damon!" she yelled as I caught it. I set it off in the wolf's face and he stepped back, crying out in pain. Stefan then rushed at him and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him out.<br>"Let me guess. Hybrid," Ric said pointing at the sleeping man while looking around at us. I looked at Stefan and he nodded, grabbing Elena and rushing away before she could give any protest.  
>I bent down and picked up the sleeping wolf, leaning him against the tree. "Let's tie him up," I said to Ric, who began pulling out ropes he had in his bag. As we were tying him I looked at the ropes and sighed. "These ropes aren't going to hold him for long. What else do we have?" I asked. Ric then pushed me back and began spraying the ropes with something. "What good is that going to do?" I asked as I reached for the ropes to tighten them. When I touched them I felt a white hot pain burn my skin and I flinched back. "Vervain," he said with a sorry face. He continued to tie vervain ropes around the man and then said, "All right, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him. I don't think we're going to make that ridge before the full moon." I nodded my head just as the man began screaming.<br>"Is he turning?" I said shocked and slightly scared. Ric shook his head confused as I said, "It's impossible. It's still daylight." "Tell him that," Ric said as he backed away. I walked closer to the man and held him back by his shoulders. "You know, those ropes aren't gunna hold the wolf." I continued to hold the man back as he screamed and snarled. "Damon, we've got to get out of here. We have to get out of these mountains now! Damon, now!" Ric yelled as we both took off running.  
>We were running for a minute when Ric tripped yelling out, "Shit!" I turned around, about to laugh at him when I froze. "Don't move," I said as he raised his head to see the wolf in front of him. "Here, doggie, doggie," I said then ran off at vampire speed, the wolf following behind.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I ran around looking for Ray, hoping he hadn't bit Damon or Stefan. I was running when I heard Damon's voice antagonizing him. I groaned and sped off in their direction, arriving as Ray rushed at him in his human form. I jumped in front of him and plunged my hand into his chest, pulling out his heart. "Fancy meeting you here," I heard Damon say causing me to groan. I threw the heart on the floor and turned to him with an angry face. "What part of 'don't follow me anymore' got lost in translation, Damon?" He put up his hands in surrender playing the innocent. "Might want to take it up with Stefan. You don't want him chasing you; I'd stop with the late-night phone calls."<br>I shook my head, feigning ignorance and said, "I didn't call him." He gave a dry laugh at me. "Sure you did. He's not going to give up on you, Gene. Or Vie, I should say." That hurt. My eyes watered as I blinked to keep the tears back. "You know what, you're right, Damon." I said, the hurt visible in my eyes, causing Damon to look regretful. "I'm not Gene anymore. I'm Vie. And Stefan has to let me go. Because I'm never coming back. Why don't you go and protect your precious doppelgänger. Maybe this time you can keep her home," I said speeding away with Ray's body and leaving Damon there stunned.

I walked back to the camp site, dragging Ray's dead body. When I arrived I saw the rest of the pack was dead, and Nik sat in the middle of them with his head in his hands. "They went rabid. Some of them, I killed. The others just… bled out. In the end… they're all dead." I ran to him and pulled him into my arms, but he pushed me away in his rage. I sat in shock as I let him vent. He was too angry to be calmed. "I did everything I was told! I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelgänger!" he yelled as I flinched at his loud tone.  
>Calmed, he turned to me with sorry eyes. "My little vie, I'm sorry." I smiled up at him reassuringly then walked into his open arms. I relished in his embrace, the one place I felt safe, despite his raging anger only seconds ago. "It should have worked," he mumbled into my hair. I gave him a gentle squeeze and he left a soft kiss on my head. He pulled away then grabbed my hand, leading me out of the camp grounds. "We're leaving. It appears you're the only comrade I have left," he said as my stomach turned.<br>I was his only comrade, he said. He won't think so when he finds out the truth.


	4. Chapter 3 - Skeletons from the Closet

Nik and I walked back to the eighteen-wheeler we've been driving around in all summer hand in hand. When we arrived, Nik held my door open for me, then walked around to the driver's side and got in. "Ready, darling?" he asked starting the car then looking over at me. I scooted over so that I could lean my head against his shoulder as he drove and nodded my head. He chuckled at my position and then wrapped his right arm around my shoulder, using the other hand to steer.  
>As Nik pulled onto the road and began driving I felt slightly sad. I began to think about my life as a human, all those 143 years ago. "Nik," I said quietly, looking out onto the road. He looked down at me questioningly then gave me a kind smile. "Yes, my little vie?" I gave him a nervous smile causing him to chuckle. "Tell me about your family?" He stiffened slightly then looked down at me, thinking if he trusted me enough to tell me. He sighed then shook his head slightly, "Not yet my darling. I'm not quite ready to talk about that." I nodded my head understandingly then stretched out on the seat and laid my head in his lap. He let out a low groan, causing me to giggle and slide my head towards his knees. "Sorry Nik," I said laughing as he gave me an accusing stare.<br>"You know, Vie. If you wish, you may speak of your family. I know it's a tough subject for you. If it would make you feel better, you can get it off your chest." I looked up at his concentrated face with a sad smile. "My father was named Giuseppe Salvatore. He was a "founder" of Mystic Falls, along with many others. My mother was French," I said pausing for a moment to control my emotions. "Her name was Marie." He smiled down at me lovingly then looked back up at the road, "That is a beautiful name." "Yes, she was beautiful. Everyone always said I was the spitting image of her. That was one of the reasons my father despised me," I said quietly. "He hated me for looking like his lost love."  
>Nik looked down at me with sad eyes and moved his free hand to my head, playing with my hair to calm me. "She died when I was four. After that, he began drowning himself in alcohol. Unrivaled even by Damon," I said letting out a sad laugh. "Since I was still young, it wasn't that bad. But he wouldn't look at me. I was raised by a nanny who loved my brothers and me as if we were her own children. Every now and then he would scold me for little things, like he did with Damon, but as I got older, I started to look more and more like my mother," I said pulling the only picture I had of her from my bag. Nik grabbed it in his free hand then smiled at the picture. "You do look an awful lot like her. Uncanny, really," he said giving me back the picture and pulling the truck over to park as I put it away.<br>He pulled me up from the seat, placing me on top of him as he lay down instead. "Continue darling," he said rubbing a hand up and down my spine. "As I said before, he hated me for looking like his lost love. That's when he started being more aggressive towards Damon and I. Whenever he would pass us in the halls he would beat us, shouting incoherent insults. It continued like that for a year or so. Then when I was thirteen, he sent me to a nunnery in Florence," I whispered out shakily. Thinking about that day, my eyes began to water as I tried to keep my tears from falling. Nik pulled me closer to him then kissed the top of my head whispering soothing words into my ear to calm me down. "It's alright my little vie. You're alright." I shook my head as the tears streamed down my face. "I hated him. I hated him so much. I was so young, and he sent me away," I said sobbing into his chest uncontrollably.  
>I pulled myself together, just enough to continue my story, and began to speak again. "A few months after I left, Katherine arrived in Mystic Falls. I was half-way across the world, and when Stefan and Damon were turned, I had no idea. I thought they died. I thought the only two people that cared for me were dead." I paused, taking in deep breaths and clutching onto Nik's shirt. Feeling Nik's arms around me and his hands rubbing my back, I faintly smiled. The one place I always wanted to be was here, in his arms. "How long were you alone for?" he asked running a hand through my hair. "Three years," I whispered out shakily. He froze, momentarily ceasing his soothing gestures then asked, "If your brothers turned shortly after you left, why did it take them so long to get to you?" I let out an airy chuckle as I shook my head. "My father never told them where he sent me. He didn't tell them where I was staying, what city I was in, nothing. It took them three years to find me." "That bastard," Nik said darkly.<br>"I could only imagine how you felt. But I do have one more question," he said running his hands through my hair. "What would that be?" I asked placing my chin on his chest and looking up at him. "Why do you hate your name?" I stiffened, and my eyes widened in shock. I put my head down against his chest and squeezed my eyes tight. "I hate my name because he gave it to me. My father, as I'm sure you know, was Italian. He was proud of it, always boasting about it. He drilled the Italian lifestyle into mine and my brothers' minds. He named me Arabella, so I hate it." He looked down at me with a soft smile and rubbed away a few stray tears. "It's alright, my darling. It's alright not to hate him," he said quietly.  
>I looked up at him, shocked at his words as my eyes began to water again. "How did you know?" I whispered so quietly, I almost couldn't hear myself. For an instance, I saw the pain flash through his eyes. The same pain reflected in mine at this very moment. "My father and I were in similar positions. I hated him with every ounce of my being. But I only hated him for what he did. I was just hurt. All I had wanted was his approval, acceptance… and love," he said as his own eyes watered. I leaned forward, placing a light kiss on his lips as one of my tears dripped onto his cheek. "I guess we both have daddy issues," I said with a sad chuckle as he gave me a sad smile.<br>I laid my head on his chest, burrowing my nose into his neck, as we both lay silently, enjoying the close embrace. After a few minutes, I began to feel the effects of my blood loss ,and being in close proximity to Nik's veins, I felt my fangs itching to bite into his neck. I leaned my head forward slightly and kissed his neck, causing him to let out a quiet moan. I sat up, putting my weight on my hands, and moved my legs to straddle Nik's waist for better leverage. When I shifted my weight, I put slight pressure on Nik's lap, causing him to let out another moan. I smirked down at him, enjoying being the person in control for once and leaned forward again, continuing to kiss and nibble on his neck as I lightly grinded my waist against him.  
>Having enough, Nik grabbed my thighs and pulled me down against him roughly. I let out a deep moan against his neck and chomped onto it. We both froze for a second then began laughing uncontrollably. "Well, that ruined the moment," I said in between giggles. Nik laughed along with me, then stopped and stared at my face. I froze as I touched around my face for something wrong. "What is it?" I asked, not feeling anything. He pulled my face down to his, looking deeply into my eyes, then touched a finger to my teeth. I looked down at his finger as he pulled it back and saw that it had a spot of blood. I hadn't realized my fangs were showing. "Are you thirsty, Vie?" he asked with a kind smile. I looked from his blood-stained finger to his eyes and slightly nodded my head.<br>He slowly put his hand on the back of my head and pulled it down to his neck, holding it there. "Go ahead. You need it," he said softly. I hesitated for a moment then slowly pressed my fangs into his neck. I heard him let out a small grunt as they broke the skin, and then begin to softly moan as his blood flowed into my mouth. Gripping onto his shoulder, I pressed my fangs deep into his neck and drank his warm blood. It was the most amazing thing I've ever done. I felt as if we were fusing together, becoming one single soul. When I thought that I could sense him before, that was nothing. He was now an extension of my own body. He was mine. I was his. This… just felt right.  
>I pulled away from Nik's neck, taking deep breaths and smiling down at him, I returned my face to normal and licked my lips. "Do you feel it?" he asked quietly while rubbing my cheek. Looking into his eyes, I saw that he had experienced the same thing I had. I nodded my head as I looked down at him, as if seeing him in a new light. He wasn't just Nik. He was the angelic embodiment of everything I wanted and loved. I loved his dark blonde curls and how soft they were. Whenever I saw him I yearned to run my hands through them, as I did now. I loved his smile. Cheeky as it may be, it was the most radiant sight I've laid eyes on. His eyes, the things I loved more than anything else, were the deepest of blues.<br>"What was that?" He looked at me contemplatively then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he whispered, then sat up, holding me in his lap. I leaned forward, resting my head against his shoulder and sighed. I was madly in love with this man. Yet, I didn't even know if he felt anything for me. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a shaky breath then looked up at him with sad eyes. "What is this?" I asked him placing a hand gently on his cheek. He gave me questioning eyes and thought for a moment, then pursed his lips when he understood me. He grabbed my hand and placed it in his lap, looking down at them sadly, not answering my question.  
>I pulled away from him and sat against the opposite door of the truck from him. That wasn't the answer I was hoping for. I ran a hand through my hair as I let out a hurt sigh and looked back at him. He was watching me with emotionless eyes, putting up his walls, and effectively pushing me out. I shook my head at him and looked away. Just moments ago we were having a peaceful and intimate moment, and now we were standing on opposite sides of a great wall. Frustrated, I spun around and jumped out of the car, beginning to walk down the road.<br>As I walked away, Nik sped in front of me with angry eyes and crossed arms. "Just where do you think you're going?" I ignored him and continued walking as he turned and sped in front of me again. But this time, he grabbed my arm to stop me. "Do not ignore me!" he yelled in my face pulling me into his chest. I used all my strength to pull my arm out of his grip then pushed him away from me. "You don't get to yell at me! Not after what you just did!" I yelled in his face as he clenched his jaw, restraining himself from lashing out at me. "And what, pray tell, did I do?" he asked with an angry calm. I shook my head at him with hurt eyes as I took a step back. "How can you do that? How can you turn a blind eye? You felt it, Nik. I know you did. Why do you push me away, when all I want to do is be by your side?" I asked as tears ran down my face. His eyes began to water as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. "I don't know. I just…" he said then shook his head and looked away from me. "I cannot love. It is a vampire's greatest weakness, and I refuse to have any."  
>Hearing his words, my heart broke. Everything I had believed was happening between us, everything I was feeling, was nothing but an imperfection in his ego. Tears continued to run down my face as I nodded my head then walked back to the truck. I opened the passenger door and climbed in then sat hugging my legs and leaning my head against the window. Klaus climbed into the driver's seat then looked over at me, but I ignored his existence. He was now Klaus to me. He mercilessly broke my heart, and now he was only the man that everyone thought him to be. Klaus.<br>I sat quietly as he pulled back onto the road and began driving. Slowly, the movement of the car driving down the street lulled me to sleep. As my eyes closed I thought back to the day I was turned.

October 18, 1867  
>In honor of my birthday, Damon and Stefan were hosting a masquerade ball, in our new home, Chicago. After they found me two months ago, they told me everything from Katherine to Stefan killing father. I wasn't angry at him. It was who he is now. I didn't fear him. He was still my brother, and I still entrusted him with my life.<br>I was walking around the ball in my new dress and wearing my mask. I was in love with it. I was the belle of the ball, and I enjoyed it. I stood off to the side of the party having a drink of water when a rather dashing man came up to me. "Puis-je avoir cette danse, Mademoiselle Salvatore?" May I have this dance, Ms. Salvatore? he asked in perfect French. I gave him a polite smile and curtsied to him, "Bien sûr, monsieur." Of course, sir, I said placing my small hand into his waiting one. He led me into the ball room, where everyone stopped and stared at us as we began to waltz and converse in French. "Tell me, Ms. Salvatore, what does it feel like to be the most beautiful woman at this ball?" I blushed slightly at his kind flattery and looked downward to try to hide it, but with the hand that was on my waist, he lifted my chin to look at him. "You mustn't hide such beauty. It would be a shame." I smiled at him and looked into his eyes. They were a deep, chocolaty-brown. "Your eyes are breath-taking," we said at the same time. We began to laugh and he stopped dancing and grabbed my hands in his.  
>"Would you like to go for a walk?" I looked around nervously for my brothers then nodded my head. They did not want me to wander outside of the house without them. Ever since they became vampires, they have been even more protective, since they now know what lurks in the shadows. The young man smiled at me, and for a second, I thought I saw fangs. But just as quickly as I saw them, they vanished. I shook my head lightly then smiled up at him as he led the way to the backyard.<br>"I don't recall you mentioning your name," I said to him as we walked through the garden. He looked down at me with a smile that did not seem quite right. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something off about him. "Names are such silly things. Do you not agree?" I looked at him quizzically trying to make sense of what he said, but could not find an answer to it. "I don't understand," I said as we began to walk through the maze we had. I kept note in my mind on the various turns we took, just in case I would need to make a fast escape. "Well, they are given to us by someone else. They sometimes define who we are, or portray us to be something we are not. Yet, at the very same time, we can always shed them and become someone new. So, why trouble ourselves with them at all?" I nodded my head; slightly understanding his point, but not completely.  
>We continued to talk as we finally arrived to the center of the maze where Damon had placed a beautiful white gazebo. It was covered in various colorful flowers and the aroma of them wafted in the air. I let out a content sigh, then walked into the gazebo and took a seat on the bench we placed inside of it. I sat admiring the stars in the sky as the young man watched me. The way his eyes looked at me gave me a chill. At the same time that I found him handsome, I found him terrifying. "My name is Kol," he said as a dark smirk took over his face.<br>"Kol?" I asked him as he slowly stalked over to me like a lion hunting a gazelle. I began to shake as I finally understood the situation. Kol is a vampire, and he was going to kill me. "Are you going to turn me?" I asked him as I kept my eyes on his moving figure. When he stood in front of me, he pulled me out of my seat and held me against his chest, breathing in my scent. "I'm not quite sure if I should. But I do know I want to eat you all up," he said rubbing his nose against my neck and inhaling deeply. I shook in fear as I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for my death.  
>"Don't worry, darling. This will only hurt a bit," he whispered in my ear then viciously sank his fangs into my neck. I screamed in pain as his fangs cut into my skin and drained me of all my blood. At first, I tried to fight him off by kicking and punching him as hard as I could. But when I saw it had no effect on him, I gave up and collapsed into his arms. After a minute of drinking my blood he pulled his fangs out and licked his lips. He held my limp body in his arms as he smirked down at me. "Good night Ms. Salvatore," he whispered into my ear and then threw my body roughly onto the floor.<br>I grunted as I felt the impact. With the lack of blood in my body, it felt as if I had fallen from a tall building. My body ached all-over as I let out low moans of pain and tried, with no avail, to get up. I was going to die. Damon and Stefan could not save me this time. Then I opened my eyes wide as I thought of an idea. I took in a deep breath then screamed at the top of my lungs, resulting in my voice cracking and a coughing fit.  
>Just as I had thought no one heard me, Stefan and Damon appeared at my side and picked me up and onto the bench. "Genevieve!" I heard Damon cry out as his eyes filled with tears. "Genevieve who did this?! Tell me who did this!" I heard Stefan yell in rage as he shook my body lightly. "Enough, Stefan! She's dying," Damon said as he pulled me into his lap and held me close, crying on my shoulder. "How could this happen?!" Stefan yelled with angry tears streaming down his face, punching through the railing of the gazebo. "What do we do? Genevieve please tell me what to do," Damon cried onto my shoulder.<br>I slowly placed a hand on his head and patted it weakly, causing him to look up at my face. I gave him a small smile as I said my last words as a human. "Turn me." Stefan stopped his raging and looked at me with shocked eyes shaking his head. "No, we can't. Genevieve we promised you would never have to live this life," he said kneeling at my side and holding my hand. Damon remained silent, looking into my eyes, considering if he should turn me or not. After a minute of silence, I felt my life slowly slipping away and my eyes closing for good. But before I could close my eyes permanently, I felt a warm, bitter liquid flowing into my mouth. With a weak effort, I swallowed it and let myself drift away.

I jolted upward in my seat as I panted, a layer of sweat covering my body. I was back in the truck with Nik, I mean Klaus. He looked over at me with startled eyes then back at the road. "Are you alright?" Hearing his voice relaxed my mind, but I still ignored his presence, causing him to glare at the road. I let out a shaky sigh as I leaned forward to grab a handkerchief from my bag. As I rummaged in my bag, I saw a picture of my brothers from a few months after I was sent away. Damon was wearing his Confederacy uniform and they were standing in the garden, both with smiles on their faces. The good days. I grabbed my handkerchief then dabbed at my forehead and leaned my head against the window to feel the coldness on my skin.  
>I hated thinking about that night. I died on my own birthday. Still, I have never seen Kol again, which I was thankful for. Thinking back on it now, Kol resembled Elijah in a way. Then an idea struck me and I turned to Klaus with wide eyes. "Klaus," I said causing him to turn to me with a confused face. "Did you just call me Klaus?" he asked with hurt eyes. I sighed as I felt slightly sorry for hurting him, and then continued with my question. "Do you have a brother named Kol?" I asked him. He looked at me shocked then nodded his head. "Yes, I do. How did you know that?" he asked me, looking back to the road. "Where is he?" He turned to me again with a careful glance then answered, "He is in the truck. I daggered him." At his words, I let out a relieved sigh as my worries disappeared. Yet, I knew he wouldn't be daggered forever. Though I wished he would be.<br>As I watched the scenery passing by, I slowly began to fall asleep again. To my misfortune, my dream continued from where the last one left off.

I was standing beside Damon and Stefan in the gazebo. It was darker than it had been and there was a thick layer of fog on the floor. "Damon," I said, but it seems he didn't hear me. "Stefan," I tried again, but got the same answer. I let out a frustrated sigh, and then noticed the body that was lying in between them on the bench. Mine.  
>I stiffened in shock as I looked down upon myself. I was dead. "Where am I?" I whispered out. "The other side," I heard a woman say from behind me. I spun around quickly and saw a beautiful woman with blonde hair and an old-fashioned dress. It seemed to be from around the 10th century. I backed away from her slowly as I watched her smile warmly at me. "Who are you?" "My name is Esther. I am known as the Original Witch." "What happened?" I asked sadly, looking back at my brothers who were crying over my body. "You died and you are now in transition. You will become a vampire," she said almost as if she was disgusted by the word. "Do you meet all people in transition, then?" I asked confused. She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.<br>"Only you. You are special. Come, my child," she said extending her hand for me to grab. Hesitantly, I placed my hand in hers as she led me through the maze. "How am I special?" I asked pulling my hand away from her. She turned to me with that same smile, and patted my head gently. "While you were human, I watched over you. You were never quite normal, were you Genevieve?" she asked me as we continued to walk. I shook my head sadly then stopped walking and put my hands over my face. I silently sobbed as I thought back on my short life. I always saw things that no one else could, and I could do things no one else could. My brothers had just believed me to be an exceptional person, whereas I always suspected something was wrong with me. "You have magic in your blood. Usually, it is inherited from a mother, but as I said before, you are special." She gave me a somber look then waved her hand over one of the plant covered walls. It opened up to a small fountain that held the bluest of waters.  
>I smiled at her in surprise then ran over to the fountain and looked down at my reflection. When I saw my mirrored image, I immediately let out a scream and stepped backward. My eyes had been different. The whites were all black, my irises were a brighter blue, and there were veins that were visible underneath my eyes. "That is your true face," I heard her say. I looked at her in fear then back at the fountain shaking my head. "No, it can't be," I said holding a hand over my mouth. "You are a witch, my darling. Since you are still young, your powers were not able to manifest themselves completely. Now that you are a vampire, they should disappear, but I have greater plans for you. You will become a hybrid. A mixture of witch and vampire." I looked at her confused then shook my head again. "But isn't that impossible? From what I've heard, witches despise vampires." She nodded her head then walked to my side and looked down at the waters. I looked down as well; curious to see her true face, but it was the same as the face I previously saw. I gripped at her hand, still afraid of the image I saw reflected at me, and let out a small whimper.<br>"Why must I become this creature? What is the meaning of it all?" "You must kill someone for me." I turned to look at her. How could she ask me to kill someone? "No, I can't." "You must, Genevieve. He is an abomination to this Earth. He is a hybrid, but not one like yourself. He is half vampire and half werewolf. If allowed, he could destroy this Earth and create his own species. More abomination like him." Hearing her words a flash of hurt went through me. She wanted me to kill my kindred. He was the only other person like me, but she wanted me to destroy him. "If I refuse?" I asked looking at her with teary eyes. At my words, all the kindness she had shown me in these short moments disappeared and was replaced with an icy hatred. "If you refuse, then you will not be allowed to return to your brothers. You will die."  
>I let out a small cry as I fell to the floor clutching at my heart. How could I kill a man? Who was I to judge whether he should die or not? Yet, I couldn't leave my brothers. My death would just tear them apart further. I quietly sobbed for a few minutes then nodded my head. "Alright," I said shakily in between sobs. "I'll do it. Just let me go back to my brothers," I cried, looking up at Esther. She gave a slight nod of her head then began to walk away. Before she could disappear completely she turned to look at me over her shoulders and said, "Do not forget what you must do Genevieve." I nodded my head as I continued to cry and she disappeared.<br>As I cried, I felt a small aching in my heart. I grunted softly as I tried to massage my chest, but it slowly grew into a stabbing pain. Doubling over, I screamed as it felt like my heart was being stabbed with a thousand swords. Then, my teeth began to ache as well, as they slowly and painfully extended into fangs. I continued to scream as I got up and ran to where my brothers had been. When I reached them I fell to the floor as my stomach lurched. Every cell in my body ached as it felt like they were changing. All at once, I felt a wave of energy pass into my body, causing me to scream, as I felt magic transferring into me. Slowly, I crawled to the bench and pulled myself into a kneeling position. I touched my hand lightly, begging to go back to my body and for the pain to end, and felt a rushing sensation.  
>I jolted upward screaming still, and then felt hands grabbing at me. "Genevieve, calm down," I heard Damon saying. "You came back. It worked," Stefan sobbed into my lap. Damon grabbed my hand and gave it a gently squeeze then pecked my head repeatedly, muttering things about how happy he was. My mind was spinning in circles. Thinking back on what happened I remembered the immense pain I was experiencing just moments ago and shivered in fear. The pain was gone, but replaced by a deep hunger. I clutched at my stomach as I groaned and let out low whimpers.<br>This was the first time I would feel the hunger for blood. Then, I felt a giant presence around me, and I realized it was the Earth. As I relaxed, I was able to feel the plants and flowers letting out deep sighs. Welcome, new friend, I could feel them saying. I let out a shaky breath as everything dawned on me. My fate, my duty, my death. It was all so much, and I could not handle it. Feeling it all weigh down on me, I burst into tears, as my brothers both stayed by my side until I stopped.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Windy City

As I dreamt, I felt my body shaking gently, causing me to wake up. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was those ocean blue eyes I love so much. They looked at me with love, patience and hurt. "We're here, Vie," he said giving me a sad smile. I stared at him for a second, slightly groggy from my sleep, and then looked away and nodded my head. As I turned to ignore him I saw the smile fall from his face. I clutched at my chest sadly then got out of the truck and looked around. "Welcome to Chicago, Genevieve," he said gesturing out to the streets around us. I froze in my spot as I felt the horrible memories I relieved in my dreams come to mind again. "What are we doing here?" I asked shakily through fear. Klaus turned to me with questioning eyes as I looked away from him and shook my head.  
>"Well, it does bring back some memories, doesn't it? Chicago was magical," he said wistfully a he looked at the people passing by. I shuddered in fear from my memories as I watched the happy expression on his face. "To you, maybe. To me, it was terrifying," I whispered out. He turned to me again with a questioning gaze as I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I was killed here." Klaus then turned around and stalked up to me, towering over me with a scowl on his face. "What happened?" I shook my head at him, dismissing his worries and turned to lean on the truck. "Ancient history. But, let's just say, it scarred me." Klaus nodded his head then gave me a gentle pat on my shoulder, "Let's go. We're going to see my second favorite witch. If anyone can help us with my hybrid problem, she can. You can change there."<p>

Damon's POV  
>I walked into Elena's room and saw Stefan and her asleep in the bed. Smirking, I climbed into the bed in between the two and put my hands behind my head in a relaxed position. They both slept peacefully for a while, and then at the same time, they both turned over and put their heads onto my chest. Feeling that they were laying on my body the both woke up and jumped out of the bed, looking down at me. "Rise and shine, sleepy heads," I said as I widened my eyes and smirked at them both. "Aah!" Elena yelled waving her hands frantically in my direction, surprised that I was in her bed. "What are you doing?! Get out!" Stefan yelled pointing towards the door. I laughed at them then turned to Elena with a teasing smile. "You know you were dreaming about me. Explains the drool," I said pointing to the wet spot on my right bicep. "Ugh, oh my god."<br>Stefan rolled his eyes and looked over at the alarm and threw his arms up in the air in frustration. "6:00 a.m. seriously? Do you really have nothing better to do at 6:00 am?" "Fine, don't come with me to bring Gene home. See you." As I got up to leave, Stefan and Elena both grabbed onto my arms to stop me. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. What?" They asked at the same time. I laughed at their confusion then sat myself back on the bed. "What are you talking about? Where is she?" Elena said with furrowed brows as she walked over to me. "Windy city." "She's in Chicago? There's no way she would go there," Stefan said shaking his head with a skeptical face. I nodded my head and then ran my fingers through my hair. "That's what I thought, too. But, there's only one way to find out, right?"  
>"Wait, why would she never go to Chicago?" Elena asked confused. I looked over at Stefan as he nodded his head and told Elena the story about how Gene was killed there, and how it was just a place of bad memories. She looked close to tears at the story and took in deep breaths. "Oh my god. Poor Gene. How could someone do that? Did she ever say who it was?" she asked frantically. Stefan and I both shook our heads and looked away from her. Genevieve didn't like to talk about what happened. It scared her too much. We all stood somewhat awkwardly until I got fed up with it. "So! Let's hit the road! I'll be waiting outside."<p>

I was driving down the road to Chicago, Stefan by my side and Elena in the backseat. Suddenly, it hit me that Stefan has never experienced "Vie" before. "Hey Elena, can you hand me the diary that's lying on the floor," I said as I pursed my lips and let out a sigh. Stefan turned to me with a confused face then grabbed the diary from Elena. "What is this? This isn't mine," Stefan said looking at me for answers. I sighed again then shook my head. "No, it's Genevieve's. Or "Vie", as she likes to call herself when she goes on binges. You need to be prepared for what you're about to see, Stefan. This isn't Gene." Sadness flashed through Stefan's eyes as he took in a deep breath. Then, shaking his head slightly he opened the book and read from the first page.  
>"March 10, 1910. I left Damon. He's changed. He's not the brother I once loved. He's obsessed with finding Katherine. We got into an argument, and he said some things that hurt me. Now my emotions are out of control again and all I want is to kill. I follow Stefan's tactics. Drink until they are but an inch from death then rip them apart. I love hearing their screams of pain. Nothing has made me feel such a rush quite like the sounds of their screams ringing in my ears. Yet, I don't want to seem like I'm adding to Stefan's kills, so I came up with a sort of calling card. I scratch tally marks into their chests. Quite strange, I would say, but I like it," he read then put his head in his hands and sobbed quietly.<br>"How could you let that happen, Damon?" he asked looking over at me. My eyes began to water as I remembered Gene's face when I snapped at her. "I… I don't know Stefan… It was just as she wrote. I was obsessed with finding Katherine, and I was on edge all the time… I took it out on her, and she left me," I said squeezing the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "Well I'm here this time, and I am not going to let Gene do this," he said determinedly and looking out the window.

Vie's POV  
>Klaus and I were walking through the streets of Chicago as I looked around at how everything has changed. It's been 143 years since I've last been here, and I couldn't help but think, it wasn't long enough. We arrived at an old bar called Gloria's and Klaus held the door open so I could enter. When I walked in there was a black woman standing there watching me carefully. I sensed that she was a witch and smiled slightly because she couldn't figure out what I was. Good.<br>When Klaus walked in behind me she let out a sigh and put her hands on her hips. "You got to be kidding me," she said shaking her head at Klaus, who was smiling. "So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender…" "Stop. You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny," she said interrupting him. I let out a soft laugh then smiled at her. "I like you." She looked over at me curiously, still unsure of what I was as I smiled brightly at her. "Well I know we haven't met. My name is Gloria, and this is my bar. I'm a witch," she said proudly. "I know," I said causing her to narrow her eyes at me. "Just call me Vie."  
>Klaus then turned to me with a smirk of pride at my words then said, "Gloria's a very powerful witch." I nodded my head looking her over with a smile. "I can feel it." She continued to look at me carefully until Klaus gestured over to the bar. "Vie, why don't you go change and then fix us up a little something from behind the bar?" At his lack of manners I crossed my arms and looked at him in a waiting manner. Gloria was intrigued by my spunk towards him, while Klaus let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "Please." I smirked and nodded my head then went into the back and changed, then walked behind the bar to get some drinks. "I like her," she said pointing over at me laughing while I smiled at her.<br>"Yes, she's marvelous. You look ravishing, by the way," he said trying to butter her up. "Don't. I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of new travels." I grabbed various bottles from the shelves and listened in on their conversation. I may be angry at Klaus, but I still didn't want him to find out about Elena. I wouldn't be able to bare the look on his face when he finds out. I let out a heavy sigh and poured some bourbon into two glasses as I continued to listen. "Obviously, you did something wrong. Look, every spell has a loophole, but a curse that old… We'd have to contact the witch who created it," she said causing me to stiffen and lose grip of the bottle I was holding. It fell to the floor and shattered but I went into a sort of panic attack. Esther. They were going to contact her, and she was going to punish me.  
>I was so wrapped up in my fears that I hadn't noticed that Klaus was shaking me to get my attention. When I looked up at him, my eyes were watery and I was shaking in fear. But seeing his worried eyes calmed me instantly. "What happened?" I asked in a slight daze. "I don't know. Gloria and I were talking then you seemed to freak out. I was so worried," he mumbled into my ear as he pulled me into a hug. I enjoyed his embrace for a minute then pushed him away, not able to meet his eyes. "I'm fine. Continue on with Gloria," I said quietly. He seemed hurt I had rejected his affection, but nodded his head and went over to her.<br>"For me to contact her, I'll need help. Bring me Rebekah," she said demandingly as I swept up the broken glass. "Rebekah. Rebekah is a bit preoccupied," he said grimly. At his tone, I deduced that she was his sister, who was daggered and in a coffin at the warehouse. "She has what I need. Bring her to me," she said again when I saw a picture of Stefan and Klaus in a brotherly hug and smiling widely. "What is this?" I asked skeptically, grabbing the picture and walking towards Klaus. He and Gloria watched me as I shook my head incredibly. "Well, I told you. Chicago's a magical place." "But this is Stefan. With you," I said showing him the picture in shock.

Stefan's POV  
>We were finally in Chicago when Damon started taking a route I knew very well. I stiffened in my seat and looked over at him questioningly. "Damon," I said in an almost pleading way, causing him to smirk. "Sorry, little brother," he said as he shook his head. I sighed then sat impatiently in my seat waiting to arrive.<br>Damon finally parked in front of the building and I got out immediately, looking up at it. Some memories came to mind, but I just suppressed them and waited for Elena to get out of the car. "Where are we?" Elena asked looking between Damon and I. I stayed silent, not really wanting Elena to see into this part of my past as Damon said, "Stefan's old apartment in the 20's." She looked at me confused as to why I hadn't said anything but I just held onto her hand and kept walking. "You could have lived anywhere in Chicago and you chose this?" she asked trying to brighten my mood, but I remained silent and I didn't look at her. "There used to be an all-girl high school around the corner, but it shut down for attendance issues. Weird," Damon said widening his eyes then smirking at her.  
>I rolled my eyes at that. One for the dramatics as always, but that really was the reason I lived here. "If you're trying to scare me into giving up and going back, it's not going to work." "Shh," he said silencing her and breaking the lock on my apartment. "Here we are. Stefan's second personality home," he said entering and making a wide arm gesture to the room. I released Elena's hand and walked in. So many memories here. So much blood. I kept my hands at my sides and was clenching my fists as I stared stoically at one of the walls.<br>"Gene obviously hasn't been here." "It's Vie," Damon said sternly with pain in his eyes. He then began to walk to the wall saying, "Tour is not over yet." My eyes widened when I realized what he was about to do, and I backed away from it slowly. Elena looked at me questioningly then watched as Damon opened the wall to reveal my hidden closet. Elena shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at the various shelves lined with multiple bottles of alcohol. "Stefan hid his alcohol. What a monster," she said sarcastically. I looked down at the ground with a blank face then mumbled out, "Look harder," loud enough so she could hear me. Surprised that I spoke, Elena looked over at me then began to walk towards the closet.  
>She looked in then let out a gasp as she furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "It's a list of names," she whispered out sadly. "Mhm," Damon said nodding his head. She then turned to me with sad eyes and asked, "These are all of your victims?" I nodded my head grimly as she looked at me with disbelief. "Still handling it?" Damon asked narrowing his eyes at her. Elena scowled at him then went to my rescue, "What were you doing in the 1920's? Paving the way for women's liberation?" Damon's eyes filled with pain from thinking about what he was doing then said, "I was helping Gene learn to control 'Vie.'" He said making air quotations to represent Gene's second personality. I looked at him just as he was about to leave.<br>"Where are you going?" I asked him and he turned to me with pain still in his eyes. "Your old stomping ground." My mind raced to think of the place he spoke of, and then Gloria's bar came to mind. "I'm coming with you," I said nodding my head and heading over to him. "Me too," Elena said beginning to follow us, but I stopped and turned to her with a stern face. "No." "You stay here and whip up an actual plan. We'll come back when we find Vie."

Vie's POV  
>"This doesn't make any sense. Why didn't Stefan remember you?" I asked as I paced back-and-forth in the warehouse. "You and I both know that time had a lot of dark holes for him." "No, if you knew him, then why haven't you said anything?" I stopped pacing then turned to look at him. He gave me an impatient face then shook his head at me. "I'm a little busy right now. Memory Lane will have to wait." "What the hell is going on? Answer me, Niklaus!" I yelled as I slowly felt my frustration manifesting into a power surge. Knowing that I would snap soon, Klaus turned to me and sighed. "Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated him." He then proceeded to tell me a story of how he met Stefan, who was in love with and dating his sister Rebekah at the time.<br>"Your sister. So he knew another original vampire," I said shaking my head. Oh Stefan, why do you always get yourself into these situations? "If you can't handle it, then don't ask," he said walking over to a coffin and opening the lid. Inside, there was a beautiful blonde girl lying with her arms over her stomach. Klaus smiled down at her and gently touched her face. "She looks like crap," I said ruining his little moment. He let out a hardy laugh then shook his head at my randomness. "Well, don't tell her that. Rebekah's temper is worse than mine." He pulled the dagger out then smiled down at her again. "Time to wake up, little sister. Any day now, Rebekah."  
>He turned to look at me then pursed his lips. "She's being dramatic." I rolled my eyes at him then crossed my arms. "Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on? I mean, what happened between you and Stefan?" He sighed then leaned on one of the crates and began his story. "Well, I learned some of my favorite tricks from Stefan." He told me a story of how Stefan compelled a man to drink his wife's blood. I smirked, that was so like Ripper Stefan. "I was his number one fan." I shrugged my shoulders then looked away from him. "Why should I believe any of this?" Klaus grew frustrated and walked to a man that managed the transportation for the warehouse and compelled him. "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die."<br>"Where we going?" I asked him as he turned to walk out of the warehouse. "You think I'm lying, Vie. I knew Stefan. He trusted me with one of his secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you." "How?" I asked with a confused face as I easily kept pace with him. He smiled down at me for a second then corrected himself as he allowed a smirk to cover his face. "We're going to his old apartment."

Damon's POV  
>Stefan and I walked into the bar as he reminisced on old times. When we entered I saw a black woman cleaning up a bit, and my mouth fell when she turned to me with a teasing smile. "Well, look what the wind blew in. Last I heard, you hated this place," she said crossing her arms and smiling widely. "Gloria. Damn! If I knew you were going to age like this, I would have stuck around." I said eyeing her up and down. "I always did like you better," she said sending a questioning look to Stefan who stood next to me gob smacked at how well she looked. "I remember you," he said in awe. "Shouldn't you be…" he left off then raised his eyebrows. "Old and dead?" she continued for him. "Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?" she said making me and Stefan laugh a bit. "I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry; it'll catch up to me one day."<br>"We're looking for our sister," Stefan said finally coming to his senses. Gloria seemed shocked, most people didn't know about Gene. "Sister? What's her name?" she asked looking between us. "Genevieve," Stefan said instantly, but I looked at her and replied, "She goes by Vie, nowadays." "I see it's a Salvatore thing to run in the wrong crowd." I stepped forward in shock. "You've seen her?" "With Klaus. They're actually a pretty good combo," she said shrugging her shoulders. "Do you know where they went?" Stefan asked with a serious and brooding face. "They'll be back here later tonight. They're out running a little errand for me. "Gloria," I said touching her hand and giving her my version of a sweet smile, which was a flirty smile. "Don't be a tease. What kind of errand?" She pulled her hand out of mine, shaking her head then said, "I don't think so. You may be cute, but you're still a vampire."

Elena's POV (OMG I KNOW! SHOCKER!)  
>I was sitting on Stefan's old bed, reading through Gene's diary. "April, 1922. Damon found me last night, and dragged me off the train tracks. He thinks he can help me. As if." I turned the page with my eyebrows furrowed. "June, 1924. Damon's driving me crazy. He's trying to teach me moderation. The more moderation, the more misery." I turned the page again. This wasn't anything like Gene. Damon seemed to really try hard to help her. "1935… I'm constantly craving to attack the humans around me, but it's getting easier. Damon's changed his strategy… He's trying to get me to be myself again."<br>As I was about to turn the page I heard footsteps and voices coming down the hallway. I quietly put down the book and ran into the closet, closing the hidden door and holding my breath. For a moment, there was silence. Then I heard the door being kicked in and Klaus' voice. "What a charming little homestead. Do you feel that? Is anybody here?" he called out. I silently shook in fear, hoping they wouldn't find me. Damn it, Damon. This is your fault. "It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time. Why'd you bring me here?" I heard Gene ask with a bored tone. My heart rate slowly picked up. Gene was right there. "That man, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood… I never could figure out why Stefan wanted his name. And then he told me his little secret. It was all part of his special little ritual."  
>I stiffened and looked to the wall next to me and saw the name Liam Grant written there. I let out a silent whimper and held my hands together over my mouth. Please, leave already. "To write the name down," Gene said sadly. "And relive the kill…over and over again." I heard footsteps approaching and the hidden door opened as I pressed my body against the wall trying to be as hidden as possible. "Do you believe me now?" he asked and Gene entered the close to look at the list. I stiffened and my eyes widened as I watched as she turned her head then flinched slightly when she saw me. I look at her with hope in my eyes as she looked at me blankly for a moment.<br>"Look what I found," she said with no emotion on her face. I panicked and shook even more as she grabbed a bottle and turned away from me. I let out a silent sigh as she said, "1918 single malt." I heard him chuckle as he took it from her. "My favorite. Let's go and find someone to pair it with." She closed the hidden door then they both walked out of the apartment.

I was standing behind a wall with a vervain dart in my hand as I heard another person coming. When I saw that it was Damon and Stefan I let out a sigh and jumped out. "Finally! I called you an hour ago!" Damon threw a bag at me, ignoring what I had said and walked farther into the apartment. "Make yourself presentable. I know where Vie's going to be tonight." He sat down as Stefan walked in and lightly pecked my cheek. He seemed to be back to normal now, but I was just glad he was feeling better. "I told you that I was practically discovered by Klaus and you're worried about what I'm wearing?" I asked looking between the two incredulously. Damon shrugged his shoulders as Stefan's eyes widened and he looked worried. "Wait, what? Damon you didn't tell me that!"  
>"I had an hour to realize what a bad idea it was to leave her alone, process it, and move on. Are you okay?" he asked gesturing over to me and I nodded my head slightly. "Yeah." "Okay, good. Get dressed. You're all road-trippy and gross." I rolled my eyes and put the bag down then crossed my arms. "So you know where she's going to be?" "Yes, with Klaus. So I'll distract him and you two deal with Vie." "Thank you, Damon," Stefan said pursing his lips and nodding his head in appreciation. "But," he said holding a finger up and waving it between Stefan and I. "You're going to have about five minutes, tops, before that hybrid freak rips my heart out. So please, tell me you can do this." Stefan and I looked at each other and then nodded our heads. "We can do this."<p>

Vie's POV  
>Klaus and I sat at Gloria's bar drinking shots of tequila. "So wait, I'm confused. If you and Stefan were such good friends, why doesn't he remember you?" He sighed then told me the story of how Rebekah and Klaus had to leave Chicago. "You compelled him to forget?" "It was time for Rebekah and me to move on. Better to have a clean slate." I shook my head with narrowed eyes and watched him in disbelief. "But why? You shouldn't have to cover your tracks," I said then froze. "Unless you're running from someone." "Story time is over." He said showing that the subject was closed from discussion.<br>I turned away to look at the street passing by and saw Damon gesturing for me to come outside. "I'll be back," I said then walked outside ready to snap at my brother. "What is wrong with you?!" "What is wrong with you? You kill Andie one day, you save my life the next. What are you good, bad? Pick one!" he yelled frustrated with me. I let out a sigh then ran a hand through my long hair. "Klaus almost saw Elena today, Damon. You have to get her out of Chicago," I said shaking my head at him. "She's not going anywhere, and neither is Stefan. Not until they've got you checked into vampire rehab and on the mend. Trust me, I've tried." I let out a frustrated groan then started pacing. "Damon, you don't get it! She's the key to everything. Klaus can't know that she's alive."  
>Damon's eyes widened and he put up his hands to stop me. "Did you just say Klaus?" I stopped pacing then looked down at the floor as my eyes grew slightly watery. "Yeah," I mumbled hoping he wouldn't hear the sadness in my voice. "What happened? And what are you talking about? Key to what?" I shook my head at him then took in a deep breath. "She was supposed to die in the sacrifice and she didn't. Now, Klaus can't create any new hybrids. His witch is seconds away from figuring that out. Tell Elena and Stefan to go home and forget about me," I said ignoring his first question. He narrowed his eyes at me then gestured behind me. "Tell them yourself."<p>

Klaus' POV  
>I sat at the bar drinking my tequila shots and thinking about my situation with Vie. How could I get her to forgive me? It was a difficult thought, but I wanted to try. Breaking me from my thoughts, I saw Damon Salvatore take a seat next to me, causing me to let out a sigh. "I see they've opened the doors to the riff raff now." "Oh, honey, I've been called worse," he said trying to be funny. It might have earned a smirk if I was in a better mood, but I just frowned now. "You don't give up, do you?" "Give me my sister back… You'll never have to see me again." I let out a sigh then turned to him with a serious face. "Well, I am torn. You see, I promised Vie I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so…" He widened his eyes then smirked at me, which I have noticed he does quite often. "What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." At that I had enough, so I rushed at him and strangled him against the bar.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I stood in the parking lot staring at them with a blank face. I try so hard to keep her a secret, to keep her alive, to keep my brothers happy. Yet, here they are risking it all. "You shouldn't be here," I said shaking my head at them while struggling to keep from crying. I missed them so much, and having them here in front of me was making it hard not to go crying into my brothers' arms. "Where else would we be?" Stefan asked with a sad smile on his face." "What do you want? Damon won't be able to distract Klaus for long," I said as Stefan stepped closer to me then pulled me into his arms. As he held me tightly I fought to remain emotionless as I stared over his shoulder at Elena's sad face.<br>"Come home," Elena mouthed to me. I sighed heavily then was about to raise my arms to hug Stefan back when I felt his arms moving slightly. I moved as fast as I possibly could and pushed him away from me. "Were you going to snap my neck?" I asked him appalled. Elena looked at him shocked as he nodded his head ashamedly. "How much clearer can I make it? I don't want to come home!" I yelled as I walked towards the front door of the bar.  
>When I entered the bar Klaus was stabbing Damon with a toothpick. "Oh, dear, what was that? I'm a little boozy, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries." I chuckled slightly as I watched from the sidelines. He stabbed Damon again and said, "Oh! No, that's not it. Hmm." Stab. "Oh. Almost," he said with faked disappointment. Damon let out a groan the choked out, "You want a partner in crime? Forget Vie. I'm so much more fun." I rolled my eyes at him. Thanks Damon. "You won't be any fun after you're dead."<br>He then pushed Damon on the ground and was about to stab him when I set the stake on fire. "Really?" he asked turning to Gloria making me smirk. "That wasn't me," she said shaking her head in confusion. Klaus then looked around until his eyes landed on me and he let out a sigh. "Vie, I didn't see you there." "You wouldn't, would you?" I asked while smirking at him. "You know you aren't allowed to stake him. That was the deal," I said as I crossed my arms and continued to lean against the wall. "Wait a minute. You did that?" Gloria asked in shock. Being in a bad mood, I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. "Yes, yes, please keep up there granny." Klaus chuckled at my wittiness while Gloria glared at me. "Watch yourself little one." "Or what? You going to use your witchy juju on me?" Angry, Gloria began chanting a spell aimed to harm me. But being a witch-vampire hybrid, I stood with open arms as I absorbed the magic's energy into my system. "Thanks, doll. I was feeling a smidge fatigued."  
>She looked at me shocked as Klaus stared with wide eyes. "What are you?" "I, my dear, am a hybrid. Half witch, half vampire. Now don't test me, because I am 100% certain you can't do that same trick." I walked over to Damon and helped him up, then grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards the door. "Leave, Damon. Wouldn't want the people at home to have another grave to mourn over, would you?" I asked with a glare and a hint of a double meaning in my voice. Damon understood what I was threatening then shook his head at me and vamped out. I then turned to see Klaus with crossed arms and slightly pouting, causing me to smirk. "I didn't know you could do that!" Klaus yelled almost in a whiny voice. "Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, darling." He smirked at me then grabbed my hand and led me out of the bar towards the warehouse.<p>

When we entered the warehouse, Rebekah's coffin was open and the human was on the floor dead. Bored, I sat on a crate and waited for the inevitable sibling fight. "Rebekah… It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are," he said looking around. I rolled my eyes at his stupidity just when she jumped out and stabbed him with a dagger. "Go to hell, Nik!" she yelled in his face. "Hmm, I like her." Klaus glared over at me as he removed the dagger from his chest and threw it on the ground. "Don't pout. You knew it wouldn't kill me," he said massaging where the dagger wounded him. "Yeah, but I was hoping it would hurt more," she said in a disappointed tone. "I understand you're upset with me, Rebekah… So I'm going to let that go. Just this once."  
>Bored, I got off the crate and walked over to the two angelic siblings. "Hi there, I'm Vie," I said extending my hand to her. She narrowed her eyes as she looked me over, then slowly put her hand in mine and shook it. "Rebekah." I smiled at her as Ni-I mean Klaus said, "And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the Original Witch." Still, at the mention of her I tensed, which Rebekah caught sight of. She sent me a questioning glance as I shook my head and looked away, pretending I hadn't noticed. "The Original Witch?" "What do you have that Gloria needs?" She went to grab, what I assumed to be a necklace, from her neck but was met with bare skin. "Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!" she yelled in a panic.<br>Trying to be helpful, I used Rebekah's presence to locate it. I silently chanted a locater spell and closed my eyes to use my mind as a map. What I was met with caused my eyes to open in shock as I silently freaked out. Elena had Rebekah's necklace. How did she get it? I thought for a moment then rolled my eyes. Stefan probably found it after being compelled and gave it to her. Damn it. Rebekah was now tearing apart her coffin trying to find it, with no luck. She threw it on the ground and yelled loudly in frustration. This was not good.


	6. Chapter 5 - Secrets Revealed

Klaus and I were sitting on lounge chairs in a fancy clothing boutique sipping champagne. As I took a sip, Klaus' glass was being refilled by a young shop worker. I glared at him as he smirked while staring at her ass. Rolling my eyes, I finished off my glass and held it in the air, waiting for someone to refill it. "More champagne, miss?" I nodded my head then turned to look at the person. I immediately smiled flirtatiously when I saw it was an attractive young man. He returned the smile then bent down to whisper in my ear. "Call me. Anytime you like," he said slipping a folded piece of paper into my hand. I raised my eyebrows up in a silent yes, and then put the paper in my pocket.  
>I watched him as he walked away then turned to look back at Bekah's closed dressing room door, and I noticed Klaus glaring right at him. I chuckled lightly as I took a sip of champagne and smirked at Klaus. "Jealousy is such a good look for you, Klaus," I said in a teasing manner as he growled lightly at me. I laughed to myself as Rebekah said, "There has to be more to this dress." "There's not," Klaus said with slight anger in his voice. She stepped out of a dressing room in a mid-thigh, black cocktail dress.<br>"So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, then. You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers," she said as she turned to us with a frown on her face. "You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing." "And what is this music? It sounds like a cable car accident." I giggled at her humor. It kind of did. "It's 'dance' music," I said as I rolled my eyes. Some music nowadays was pretty crappy, I admit. "People dance to this?" she asked me with wide eyes. I nodded my head grimly as I took another sip of champagne. "Are we done?" I turned to give Nik a face that said 'Really?' and saw that he was quite irritated.  
>"And why are you so grumpy?" Rebekah asked putting her hands on her hips. Klaus put his champagne down and rested his hands on his stomach as he got 'serious.' "I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids are dying. One thing. Your necklace. And you lost it." She rolled her eyes then turned to look over the dress again in the mirror. "I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for 90 years." Rebekah sighed then turned and looked at me with an unsure face. "So, what do you think?" I looked the dress over then shook my head. "I don't like it." She smiled at me then nodded her head as well. "Neither did I," she said then walked back into the dressing room.<br>I let out a sigh then placed my champagne on a small table and stood up. "I'm going to get some fresh air." As I walked to the front of the shop, I saw Katherine across the street, gesturing for me to follow her. I rolled my eyes then did. Only one way to find out what she wants.

Damon's POV  
>"I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili," I said leaning against the counter as Elena cooked. Stefan entered with his signature brooding face. "Hey, Steffie," I said with a smirk. He glared at me as I chuckled slightly and said, "Do not. Call me that." He walked over to Elena and gave her a small kiss then asked, "What's up?" "What time do you want to go to the Lockwood party?" "Show up, there's going to be nine other people that brought chili." She sighed then turned to me with a frustrated face. "It's an old family recipe, okay?" "Yeah! I know. I knew your old family. They made sucky chili," I said with a smirk as Stefan watched us and Elena laughed. "Why are you here, exactly?" "She knows," I said pointing to her and crossing my arms.<br>Elena rolled her eyes as she stirred the chili then looked at Stefan with a frustrated face. "He thinks I'm going to break. I'm not going to break," she said looking over her shoulders at me with narrowed eyes. "I am just going to keep making chili, and pretend like I didn't just spend the entire summer looking for someone who didn't want to be found." He looked at her with an unsure expression, and then looked over at me. I shrugged my shoulders, "She's in denial." "I'm not in denial." "Oh no?" Stefan rolled his eyes and took a seat at the bar as I remained standing against the counter.

Vie's POV  
>I walked up to Katherine with a bored face as she smirked at me. "What the hell are you doing here, Katherine?" She gave me a taunting smile then sat down on a bench and crossed her legs in a lady-like way. "You and Klaus weren't dry-humping each other. Trouble in paradise?" she asked, knowing she hit a nerve. I sat down and gritted my teeth together then let out a calming sigh. "Katherine… Can I be honest with you?" I asked with no hostility in my voice at all. She turned to me with a shocked face and shrugged her shoulders. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love again?" I asked looking at her with sad eyes.<br>Her smirk fell as I saw the smallest amount of hurt in her eyes. For a moment she didn't say anything, and simply watched people walk by. "I don't know," she mumbled out quietly, not being able to meet my eyes. "You just… When you spend your life on the run, you just get so scared of letting people in. You think, 'Are they out to get me?' or 'Can they be trusted?' Then there's the thought that once someone does become important to you, others can use them to exploit you… The thought of love can be… terrifying," she said looking over at me.  
>I nodded my head with teary eyes and let out a shaky sigh. "I love him Katherine. I know I shouldn't, and that's it's hopeless, but I do. And I know he feels something for me. It might not be love just yet, but it's something." We sat in silence as tears slowly streamed down my face. Letting out a sigh, Katherine scooted next to me and pulled me into a hug. "It'll be fine. If he lets you go, then screw him," she whispered soothingly into my ear as I cried in her arms.<br>After a minute of crying, I pulled away from Katherine's hug and laid my head on her shoulder. "You would have been a great mother, Katherine." She stiffened and let out a shaky sigh then mumbled out a small "thanks." We sat in silence, until I stood up and rubbed the dried tears off of my face. "Thanks for this, Katherine. And don't worry, I have a plan," I said then turned to walk away. As I was about to turn down the street, Katherine called to me. Turning to look at her, I saw that she had a sad smile on her face. "Be careful." I smiled at her then turned and continued walking.

Damon's POV  
>"So Mayor Lockwood called your gay ex-husband to torture your vampire daughter?" I asked shocked as Liz and I walked through the town square. She gave me a grim look then nodded her head. "Yes. I've been keeping him detained to make sure the vervain is out of his system. So you could, you know…" she then pointed to her eyes, meaning I could compel him. I smirked at her then looked back in front of me as we walked. "Can't we just kill him?" "No, Damon! He's Caroline's father." I rolled my eyes then looked around. "He sounds like a douche-bag to me." She sighed then said, "Yeah, well, just because you and I are on okay terms, doesn't mean that I'm suddenly a big advocate for your 'lifestyle.'" I let out a booming laugh at her words and shook my head with a smile. "Is that what you told him when you two got divorced?" I asked, earning me a glare from Liz.<br>We walked into the old Forbes cellar and down a set of stairs into a small cell. When we entered, there was a tall man with glasses tied to a chair in the middle of the room. "Double check him for vervain before you compel him," Liz said as I walked over to him with a smirk. I removed the duct tape from his mouth, causing him to let out a small groan of pain. "You brought another vampire into this?" he asked accusingly at Liz. "It's the best thing for all of us, Bill." "So, Bill," I said rubbing my hands together. "I hear you're into the whole daddy-daughter vampire torture thing." From the corner of my eyes, I could see Liz roll her eyes as I let out a small chuckle. "I was trying to help her." "Well, if there's anyone who doesn't need help, it's your annoying, control freak of a daughter," I said then bit into his neck and drank some blood.  
>I pulled away and let out a content sigh. "Yep, he's vervain-free," I said nodding my head. "Just erase his memory, Damon." "So, Bill, I have a question." I leaned down to be eye-level with him then continued, "What makes you think that you can change the basic nature of a vampire?" "The mind's a powerful tool. It can be trained and retrained. You just have to be strong enough." "Oh, yeah?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows in fake interest. "I completely agree. I actually happen to love mind control, myself," I said leaning closer, grabbing his face, and compelling him. "You will leave town immediately. All you remember is you came to bring your daughter back to school shopping."<p>

Vie's POV  
>I walked into Gloria's bar while rubbing my eyes because they felt slightly puffy from crying. When I looked around, Gloria was sitting at a table, and Klaus and Rebekah were at the bar. "You left us," Rebekah said as she turned to look at me with a frown. It immediately changed to worry when she saw my slightly red and puffy eyes. "Yeah, sorry, just had to take a breather." "Tell me about it," Klaus said looking at me with sad eyes. I shook my head dismissively then walked over to a table and sat down. Laying my head on the table, I saw Gloria reciting a spell to herself with her eyes closed.<br>"What's she doing?" I asked curiously. "She's failing," I heard Klaus say from behind me with agitation in his voice. "It's hard to find something when you don't have anything to go on," she said with her eyes still closed. "So use me," Rebekah said getting up from the bar and walking over to the witch. "I only wore it for a thousand years," she said shrugging her shoulders. Gloria opened her eyes and looked at Rebekah with a dumbfounded face. "See? Now this one offers a solution."  
>Rebekah then sat on the table. "All right, give me your hand, sweetheart," Gloria said grabbing hold of Rebekah's hand and continuing her spell. I watched with an emotionless face as I dreaded what was to come. They would find the necklace, find out Elena's alive, and find out I lied. My fight for Klaus' trust and love would be worthless once he found out I had betrayed him. I wasn't ready to be his enemy.<p>

Elena's POV (OMG WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!)  
>"The problem with my dad's normal side of the family is normal made for a really boring summer," Bonnie said standing next to me with a slight frown. "After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family," Caroline said with sad eyes as she helped me pour the chili into a casserole. She then furrowed her eyebrows and looked at me questioningly. "Since when did you learn how to cook?" "Damon helped… a little," I said hesitantly, knowing they would overreact. "Damon's helping you cook now?" Bonnie asked turning to me with a frown. I sighed then put my hands on the counter and looked between my two best friends. "Both of you stop judging. He's just trying to be a good… OUCH!" I yelled jumping slightly. What the hell was that? "Ahh! Did I splash you?" Caroline asked frantically with sorry eyes. I shook my head then took off my necklace. "No, no, my necklace," I said feeling the raw skin where it had been laying against my chest. Did it just burn me?<p>

Vie's POV  
>Gloria was still holding Bekah's hands with her eyes closed, and slowly, I felt my humanity fading. I didn't want to lose my humanity, but without Klaus in my life, even if it was just the way things were now, I couldn't handle an eternity. "I can sense something," Gloria said. I stared blankly at the wall as Rebekah watched me with worried eyes. I think she was able to sense that something was wrong with me. She probably thought being away from my family was taking my humanity.<p>

Elena's POV  
>"It burned me," I said holding my necklace out in front of me shocked. "Maybe it's a sign that you shouldn't be wearing it," Caroline said trying to push a hint at me. "Caroline," Bonnie said warningly while shaking her head. "What, I'm just saying. If you're going to be 'cooking' with Damon now," she said 'innocently.' Bonnie rolled her eyes then extended her hand to me. "Let me see it." I moved it closer to Bonnie so she could inspect it, but when she touched it, it sent an electric shock between us and the necklace. Surprised, I dropped the necklace and looked at Bonnie. What the hell was that?<p>

Vie's POV  
>Gloria let go of Rebekah's hand then looked over at Klaus and I. "I found it." With those words, my humanity faded even more. I guess all good things really must come to an end. "So where is it?" Bekah asked with impatience. "It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends…" "Yes, a dead girl with dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back." "Well, I'll have to dive back in to get details," Gloria said shrugging her shoulders as Klaus stood up and walked over to them. "So dive," he said with a hand gesture for her to continue. "I need more time. And space. You're harshing my juju." "We can wait," he said going to sit down at a chair. Gloria shook her head, "I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked."<br>Getting up, I walked over to Klaus and put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later? I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat," I said with a forced smile. He looked at me curiously, then looked over at Bekah and gestured for us to leave with his head.

Elena's POV  
>I sat with Caroline on two benches, that were a ways from the party, waiting for Bonnie. She arrived with her grimoire then gave a small smile and sat next to me. "I have an identification spell that might be able to tell me what magic affected the necklace." I gave her my necklace and she said, "It's going to take a while, so tell me if anyone's coming, okay?" I nodded my head and she began the spell as Caroline looked over at me. "So you're not, like, switching Salvatores, are you?" she asked with narrowed eyes. My mouth fell as I stared at her in shock for a moment before answering. "What?" "Caroline," Bonnie said ceasing her spell and looking at her warningly. "Stay focused," she said to Bonnie then looked back at me. "As your friend who worries for you daily, what is the deal with you and Damon?"<br>"There is no deal. He's been just as focused on helping Stefan find Gene as I have." Caroline rolled her eyes then gave me a doubtful look. "Yeah, but that doesn't make him any less Damon. If my own father, who I love dearly, can't change me, no one's changing Damon. Not even you." I let out a sigh, this is so dumb. "Look, why are we even talking about this?" I asked getting frustrated. "Hey, guys," Bonnie said breaking the conversation.  
>I looked over at her questioningly and saw she was staring at something. I followed her line of sight and saw that my necklace was levitating. I stared at in shock as Caroline asked, "What are you doing?" Bonnie shook her head with wide eyes. "I'm not doing anything. It has its own magic." At that, Bonnie and Caroline both looked at me, but I still stared at the necklace. What the hell was going on?<p>

Damon's POV  
>I walked down the food table and looked at the multiple chilies made by founding families. I totally called it. I let out a sigh when Stefan walked up to me and gave me a beer. He took a drink of a soda, looking around for a moment, and then looked at me with a serious face. "I think you need to take a beat with Elena," he said causing me to stop and look at him questioningly. "Excuse me?" I asked in shock. What the hell? He let out a sigh then looked at me with serious eyes. "She's under a lot of stress, Damon. You need to back off."<br>I shook my head, angry that he was trying to tell me what to do. "What do you think I'm doing to her?" "What I think is you need to take a beat," he said with unwavering seriousness. As I was about to reply to him, Liz walked up to us. "Damon?" she asked with a concerned face, and then continued when she saw she wouldn't get an answer. "Sorry. Uh, the mayor just called for the council meeting."

Vie's POV  
>Klaus and I were sitting on a couch drinking from two girls as Rebekah watched. She had finished her human first so she just shifted around in boredom. And yes, Klaus chose a girl for me because he would be too jealous, although he denied it. "My girl's dead. I'm bored," she whined to us just as I finished my girl. Klaus looked over at me with his hybrid face showing and smirked. "You weren't kidding about being hungry." "Yeah," I said nodding my head and throwing the dead human on the floor. "It's been a long day," I said almost emotionless. "Try being related to her," Klaus said trying to get me to feel better. I gave a small, forced smile then got up to stretch.<br>Rebekah watched me with worried eyes as I avoided eye contact. I couldn't be near Klaus knowing he was going to hate me soon. "I need some alcohol," I said with a sigh and running a hand through my hair. I turned to Klaus and said, "I'll be back." He nodded his head with sad eyes, probably thinking this was his fault. I mean, it partially was, because he had hurt me. But this was mainly my fault. I kept Elena alive. I fell in love with the bad guy. And I was going to pay the consequences.

I walked into Gloria's and when she saw me she stood up from her chair. "There you are." "I thought you were resting," I said as I walked straight to the alcohol. I poured myself a glass of bourbon and sat down at the bar facing her. "Well, now we both have a secret." "What did you see?" I asked already knowing. "It's what I heard that's interesting. You know, the girls with the necklace, they were talking about Stefan." I nodded my head and took a long sip then looked at her questioningly. "Yet you didn't tell Klaus. Why?" "Because I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything. The necklace is a talisman from the original witch herself. I want it." I looked at her grimly and shook my head, looked down at the floor and let out an airy laugh. "Trust me; you want nothing to do with her." She gave me an unmoved face causing me to sigh. "Well, I'm sorry. I can't help you." "Don't be difficult. You know, I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his girlfriend is."  
>I laughed darkly at her sorry idea of a threat. "I've already come to terms with the notion that he'll figure out my dishonesty soon. Be my guest. Tell him," I said waving a hand to the door, gesturing for her to go tell Klaus. "Guess I've got to get it out of you the hard way, huh?" she asked with a scowl. She started chanting spells as a strong breeze moved through the room and threw everything out of place. I stayed unmoving as I watched her and soon felt her spell trying to hurt me. I simply held a hand out with my palm up as the energy from her spell collected in it. It grew into a small ball, but as she continued her chanting it steadily grew. When she finished, she seemed a bit worn out from using too much energy. I smirked at her evilly, and with the twitch of my wrist, the ball of energy went flying at her. When it hit her, she instantly fell to the ground with various wounds on her body.<br>I continued to sip my bourbon as Gloria groaned in pain. I didn't really care to kill her. She couldn't harm me, and she had nothing against me, so I just let her be. As I went to pour another glass of bourbon, Katherine walked in with a smirk on her face. "Well, shows you to mess with us vampires," she said smirking down at the injured witch. Once I poured myself a glass, I held the bottle up to her as in asking 'Do you want one?' She nodded her head at me just before she bent down and shoved a stake in Gloria's neck, effectively killing her. I poured the second glass of bourbon then grabbed them both and walked over to her. "So it seems you have given up on hiding your secret," she said before she took a drink. I sighed then shrugged my shoulders and leaned against a table. "He's going to find out soon. Rebekah is suspicious of me." "Well, that doesn't mean giving up is the answer. Why don't you persuade him with your lady charm?" she asked with a teasing smile and nudging my side with her elbow.  
>I laughed at her joke and pushed her away gently, shaking my head. "I wouldn't do that. I mean, I do want to have sex with him, but not for that reason. I want to do it when I'm sure of how he feels for me. If that ever happens," I said sighing. Katherine gave me a sad smile then rubbed my arm reassuringly. "Hey, never give up hope. It might not seem like it, but I still haven't." I looked over at her with sad eyes and nodded my head. "I'm going to head back. Do you mind…" I said then gestured to Gloria's dead body. She gave me a real smile then nodded her head. I smiled in thanks then walked towards the door, then stopped and turned to look at her again. "You know, I like you a lot more than Elena. I mean, sure, you have your bitch moments. Who doesn't? But you are open about how you act. She hides it behind her 'I'm an orphan. Help me.' act." Katherine let out a loud laugh at my words then nodded her head. "Thanks." "Welcome," I said then turned and left.<p>

Elena's POV  
>I was walking toward the door of the Lockwood mansion to leave, Caroline walking me out, as we talked about the necklace. "Did Stefan tell you where he got the necklace?" I shook my head and turned to her with furrowed eyebrows. "No. When I asked, he said he found it. Hopefully Bonnie will be able to figure it out." Ric walked up to us with a frustrated face making me smile slightly. "Please tell me it's time to go," he asked, very close to a whine. I giggled and nodded my head. "Beyond. Where's Damon?" I asked looking around for him. "Probably off somewhere doing bad things to good people," Caroline said looking around as well. At her words, I gave her a light glare, causing her to shrug. "Consider me the honesty police," she said putting up her hands in surrender.<br>Then, she caught a glimpse of a man passing by and her face filled with fear. "What is it?" "What's the matter?" Ric and I asked with worry. She stumbled to find her words as she stared at the back of the man's head. "It's my dad." I turned to look at the man and saw that it was Bill Forbes, just how I remembered him to be. "Why would he even show up here?" "I don't know. But I can't…" Caroline said, breaking off as her voice cracked slightly. I nodded my head and gave her a reassuring smile. "I get it. I'll call you later." She smiled thankfully then left to walk upstairs to Tyler's room.  
>"Okay, what was that all about?" Ric asked confused. I shook my head with pursed lips, signaling that I would tell him later. "Speaking of doing bad things to good people," I mumbled to myself as we walked outside. As we were about to leave, Damon walked up to us. "Wait, wait, Houston, we have a problem." "Where have you been?" "Managing Bill Forbes. Apparently he's impervious to compulsion," he said with a frustrated face. "How?" Ric asked with wide eyes. Damon shrugged and shook his head. "I have no idea. But he threatened to out me. Don't get me started on the irony of that," he said rolling his eyes. I gave him a face that asked 'really?' then crossed my arms. "What did you do to him? How do you know that compulsion doesn't work?" "That's not the most important piece of information I mentioned, Elena," Damon said dismissing my questions.<br>"What does he want?" Ric asked. "He wants to control the council. He says it's been compromised." "It has," Ric said nodding his head, as Damon looked at him questioningly. "He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply," he said trying to convince us that he shouldn't be committee chair. I shrugged my shoulders, "Maybe it's not a bad idea. I mean, it'll help you keep yourself in control now that Gene's not here to…" I said leaving off, knowing he wouldn't like me saying out loud that he needs to be kept in check. "To what?" he asked angrily. "To keep me in check? Make me behave? I should have killed him this morning," he said letting out a frustrated sigh. "He's Caroline's dad, Damon," I said shocked at his idea. He can't just kill him. "Yeah, and when I kill him, she'll have one more parent than we do." I looked at him taken aback at his words. That hurt.  
>"Oh, come on, Damon!" Ric said stepping closer to him to try and keep him from acting rashly. "You're killing my buzz, Ric. Step aside," Damon said warningly and narrowing his eyes at Alaric. "Yeah, it's not going to happen." Damon shrugged his shoulders then said, "Your temporary funeral." I saw Stefan slowly walking towards us, just as Damon reached over and snapped Alaric's neck. Seeing what happened, Stefan rushed over, giving Damon an angry look. "What the hell?!" I watched in shock as Stefan picked up Ric's dead body from the floor. "Damon, what is wrong with you?!" I yelled as he shook his head then walked away.<p>

Damon's POV  
>I walked into the office of the Lockwood Mansion and saw Bill pouring himself some scotch. I laughed while shaking my head, "Whoa, whoa. Is that scotch? I figured you for an abstainer," I said with a smirk on my face. He looked up at me with a guarded smile then took a drink. "Everything in moderation. It keeps the mind clear from… influence." "Like vampire compulsion." "Yeah, I tried to tell you," he said nodding his head. I nodded my head as well then waved my hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, it's a powerful tool. I got it. I'm impressed. Can't say I've ever seen that before." I stepped closer to him as I put my hands in my pockets.<br>"Well, it takes a certain human focus. It's a skill that I've been honing for decades. Plus, your technique… is a little lazy," he said gesturing to me. I nodded my head as I looked around. Well I haven't been feeding normally lately, so. "Duly noted. I'm curious. Why not just expose us to the council?" I asked while spreading my arms for effect. He looked down and sighed then looked back up at me with pursed lips. "I know you think I'm the bad guy here, Damon, but I would never expose my own daughter to those morons." I chuckled at his words. He wouldn't expose her, but he would torture her. Nice.  
>"It's a pretty risky move, taking me on, don't you think?" "I knew what I was risking when I didn't leave town, but I figured… you're not self-destructive enough to kill the sheriff's ex-husband." I shook my head at him with a smirk and chuckled darkly. "That makes you the third person to underestimate me today." I rushed at him with my vampire speed and bit into his neck, drinking his blood. I stopped and Bill fell onto his knees. "Whoa. You know, with all this behavioral modification going on around here, I almost forget how good blood tastes when it's… fresh." I smirked down at him with my vampire face showing as he looked up at me while clutching his neck to stop the bleeding. "What are you going to do? Kill everybody who discovers your secret?" "No, I'm not going to kill you, Bill. I'm just going to find pleasure in perfect little moments like this."<br>I bent down to bite him again, but was thrown against the wall by Stefan. He then grabbed me and threw me through the window as Caroline rushed over to her dad. "Daddy! Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "Here, drink it, it'll heal you," she said offering him her wrist. "I said I'm okay," he said pushing it away and shaking his head. "Grow up," she said forcing him to drink it. "Let me teach this ass-wheel a life lesson," I said to Stefan who stood in front of Caroline and Bill protectively. "Just get out of here, Damon," he said seriously. I laughed then looked at him challengingly. "Or what?" I went to hit him in the face when Caroline jumped between us and hit me instead. Pissed off, I threw her on the desk and strangled her. "I'm stronger than you, little girl," I said with a smirk as she clutched at my hands.  
>Elena walked in as Stefan grabbed Bill and took him away from here. "Well, I'm angrier!" she yelled, breaking my arm. She then grabbed my head and hit it, and threw me against the wall. Taking advantage of my weakened state, she vamped off to check on her dad. "Bummer. I love a good girl fight," I said as Elena stared at me disbelievingly. "You can't do this anymore, Damon. Not in this town. Not around me," she said shaking her head. I let out a dry laugh then got up and walked to her. "Why not? It's nothing I haven't done before. Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to keep me in check?" I yelled angrily at her. "Because I don't want you to be what other people think that you are," she said trying to convince me she was trying to help. I let out another airy chuckle and shook my head at her. "What? A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Elena, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire!" "I guess I wish that you didn't have to act like one!" I stared at her emotionlessly as she seemed to realize what she had said. "I am not Stefan. How about you stop trying to turn me into him?" I asked then left.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I walked into the warehouse and saw that it was empty, aside from the coffins. I walked towards them, and then lightly put my hand over Elijah's. "You're back. Finally. Nik went to check on the witch," Rebekah said walking in and looking at the coffins as well. "Dreary, isn't it? The family cargo." I nodded my head slightly then turned to her and asked, "Why don't you undagger them?" "Because he would hunt me down and kill me. He's a vindictive little bastard, my brother." I laughed slightly and nodded my head. I turned to her again with questioning eyes. "But you still care about him?" She sat down on Elijah's coffin and patted the spot next to her. I smiled and took the seat as she said, "Well, I hated him for a long time. It was exhausting."<br>I nodded my head and stared at the ground as I thought it over. "You know, when Klaus told me the story of your last time here during the 20's, he mentioned you both had to leave. Were you both on the run?" She nodded her head and let out a sigh. "Yes. That was also exhausting." "Who were you running from?" I asked her with curiosity. "What do you mean?" she asked with narrowed eyes, and I simply shrugged my shoulders. "Well, if you had to leave, you must have been running from someone. I wouldn't think Klaus would be so scared as to run from anyone." Rebekah looked down at the floor, lost in her thoughts for a moment, then looked back up at me. "No one in this world is truly fearless, Vie. Not even Niklaus."  
>"Who was that man?" I asked. "I can't. Please," she said asking for me to drop the conversation, then getting up. "If Nik knew we were talking about this," she said almost pacing in fear. "No, no, no. Sorry I asked," I said getting up as well. "He told me about your brothers. How you tried to save the doppelgänger. He also told me that you're only with him because he saved your brother." I nodded my head with pursed lips, avoiding eye contact. "It's true." "I think he secretly admires that about you. You'd sacrifice anything for family. Don't tell him I told you that," she said with a playful wink. I smiled at her as she stood in front of me with curious eyes. "Do you think you'll ever stop missing them?" she asked with serious eyes. "One day, maybe."<br>"I can always tell when people are lying, Vie." "What?" I asked confused as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't bother. Your eyes gave you away." Just then, Klaus walked in and he seemed slightly agitated. "Gloria's gone. She has cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately." He stopped and looked at us questioningly then narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?" "Something's wrong. She was asking about Mikael. She's not with us, Nik. I can sense it." My eyes instantly began to water as I looked at the floor, unable to see his face.  
>"Genevieve," he said with sadness in his voice. In his tone, I could hear him almost begging me to deny it. To reassure him that she was wrong. After a moment of mustering up enough courage, I looked at him as tears silently fell down my face. "Genevieve," he said again with watery eyes, but this time you could hear the pain and anger manifesting themselves in his voice. I shook my head at him slightly as I stammered to speak. "I'm so sorry, Nik," I said as I now openly sobbed. Hurt flashed through his eyes for a moment, and then was replaced with rage as he rushed at me.<p>

Damon's POV  
>I poured myself and the, temporarily dead, Ric a glass of bourbon as he lay on the couch. Seems to be taking longer now. I walked over to his body and waved his glass of bourbon next to his ear so he could hear the alcohol swishing. "Wake up!" I said, just as he sat up. I pursed my lips as he looked around at his surroundings. "It took a bit longer than usual, huh? Might want to get that ring checked. Hope it's not going bad," I smirked teasingly as he looked at me confused. "You killed me." "You pissed me off," I said shrugging my shoulders. "You killed me!" he yelled standing up. "Ric, no hard feelings, all right? I was on a bit of a tear. Everyone was trying to tell me how to behave." "Well, maybe they finally realized you're just a dick," he said walking to the door and leaving.<p>

Elena's POV  
>"I'm not going to say I told you so," Caroline said as we walked through the streets of Mystic Falls. "Thank you," I said nodding my head. "But I did tell you… so." "Okay, you and Damon were both right. I was trying to change him. But if he wants to be in my life…" I began, but Caroline stopped walking and turned to me with a confused face. "Wait. I… It's been a long week, so I'm just going to be blunt. It doesn't matter what he does, Damon's gotten under your skin," she said narrowing her eyes at me accusingly. "That's not true," I said shaking my head in denial. "God, just admit it, Elena, okay?" she said throwing her hands up in frustration and shaking her head. "You are attracted to him! In all of his bad brother glory." "No." "Wait, no, you're not attracted to him, or no, you just won't admit it?"<br>I sighed then ran a hand through my hair. "I can't, Caroline! If I admit it, if I even thought it for just a second… What does that say about me?" I asked with a sad face. She gave me a sad smile as she shook her head. "It says you're human, Elena." She looked off behind my shoulders, and turning around to check what it was, I saw that it was her dad. "Do you need me to..." "No, I got it," she said then left to talk to him.

Damon's POV  
>I walked into my bedroom and saw that Elena was there. I smirked, she came running to apologize. "I'll accept written apologies only." She smiled at me, "Are you two lovebirds fighting already?" My smirk instantly fell when I realized who it was. "Katherine. Wonderful. What do you want?" I asked in a bored tone. I'm not really in the mood for this. "I'm just a girl looking for a partner in crime. Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of dodge?" she asked with a smirk. At those words, I perked up and smirked at her. "Impeccable timing. I was told I need to take a beat." She looked at me questioningly, "Is that a yes? I'll drive." "Why not? Walls are starting to close in on me around here. Where are we going?" "Away from here. That's all I'm going to give you for right now. But believe me… it's good," she said holding up Elena's necklace.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I slowly began to wake up and groaned when I felt the aching pain in my neck. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I rubbed my neck and looked around. Nik was sitting across from me, looking down at the ground (THAT RHYMED), with his forearms rested against his legs. "Nik," I said sadly. "I trusted you. I trusted you, Genevieve!" he yelled banging the side of the truck and standing up. He had angry tears in his eyes and he paced back-and-forth to try and calm himself. "Rebekah seems to think you're holding on to something. A piece of your old life. The thing is, she's got flawless instincts, borderline supernatural. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding." He walked to the door and opened it to reveal the town square of Mystic Falls.<br>My eyes widened in fear as I looked at him sadly. He glared at me, still holding back tears and said, "Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Genevieve."


	7. Chapter 6 - Senior Prank Night

Third Person POV  
>Matt was in the high school gym at night working out when he heard a noise. He stopped working out and walked down the dark, empty halls. He heard another noise in a nearby classroom and made his way there. He walked in and it was dark, but when he stepped inside he set off what sounded like multiple mouse traps. Shocked, he turned on the light and saw Tyler, Caroline, Elena and Bonnie hunched over.<br>"Oh! Oh, come on! Seriously?! Do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?!" Caroline shrieked and stood up, flailing her arms in frustration. Matt looked at them all questioningly as they all seemed a bit frustrated as well. "Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler asked sitting down on a student desk. "Clearly," Matt replied raising and lowering his eyebrows with pursed lips. "How could you forget? We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year," Caroline said with shock on her face. Oh God, here we go, Matt thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Matt. If I'm doing this, you're doing this," Elena said teasingly with a smirk. "I'm kind of surprised any of you are doing this," he said rubbing his head with his right hand. "Caroline's making us," Bonnie muttered, rolling her eyes as well.  
>"We're about to be seniors. These are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't…" "And if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" Elena continued Caroline's speech from memory. When will she give that a rest, she thought. "Go ahead and make fun, I don't care," Caroline said holding her arms up in surrender. Tyler then sighed and stood from the desk walking towards the door of the classroom. "You're all lame. And I have ten more classrooms to prank." He grabbed a large bag he filled with things to use on different classes, and then left with Elena getting up to leave too. "Hey! Where are you going?" Bonnie asked accusingly, holding up a finger pointed at Elena, in a childish tattling move. "To superglue Alaric's desk shut," Elena said holding up a small bottle. "I'm making memories." She shrugged her shoulders with pursed lips in a playful way, and then walked out. "I love you!" Caroline yelled as Elena walked out with a smile on her face.<p>

Elena's POV  
>I walked down the hallway towards Alaric's class when I saw Tyler giving instructions to other students. "Get the faculty toilet seats, and Dana needs bodies in the gym. Let's go," he said as they all separated and went to their designated areas. I laughed, shaking my head, and opened a pair of double doors to continue to walk down the hallway, but came face-to-face with Klaus. I froze with a mixture of fear and shock on my face. What was I supposed to do now? "There's my girl," he said with a smirk on his face. "Klaus!" I yelled as I tried to make a run for it, but that didn't really work out. "You are supposed to be dead. Now what are we going to do about that?" he asked, grabbing my arm roughly and hardly.<p>

Damon's POV  
>"Are you hungry? Let's stop for a bite. A truck stop. Or a trucker," Katherine said. I rolled my eyes as we drove down the road. "Oh, stop being cute." She gave me a smirk and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not possible." I let out a sigh and leaned my elbow on the window, cupping my hand and placing my cheek in it. "We've been driving around aimlessly for hours. Where are we going?" "Far enough away so that you can't go running back." "Not to worry. Mystic Falls and I are on a bit of a break," I said widening my eyes then giving her a quick smirk, before looking back at the road. "You and Mystic Falls, or you and Elena?" "Let's just say Elena and I are having a bit of difference of opinion on how I should behave."<br>She nodded her head with raised eyebrows in understanding. "Oh, let me guess… Elena wants you to be the hero, and you don't like playing pretend." "Something like that," I said sighing and shaking my head. "Her loss," she replied shrugging her shoulders and scooting closer to me on the seat. I parked off to the side of the road and took in a deep breath. After a moment, Katherine gently placed a hand on my face and turned it so I was looking at her. She looked into my eyes seductively and leaned in as I did the same. We kissed for a moment when things began to get a bit heated. I pushed her off of me with a sigh and leaned my arm on the window again. "What are you doing?" she asked confused. "I thought I'd give it a shot. Truth is, you just don't do it for me anymore."

Vie's POV  
>I woke up with a groan and felt that my neck was aching more than usual. "Oh, she lives," I heard Rebekah say sarcastically. "What the hell happened?" I asked as I rubbed my neck and looked around. Still by the truck. That's when I noticed my new clothes. What the hell? "You took a beating. My brother's been breaking your neck all afternoon. Quite the temper. Don't worry, I changed you," she said examining her nails in boredom. I let out a sigh then got up and stretched my body. "So, where is he?" "Well, it didn't take him long to figure out what you've been hiding." "I haven't been hiding anything," I said not being able to meet her eyes. "No, you just failed to mention that the doppelgänger is still alive." I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my messy hair. I turned to her with sad eyes, causing her to let out a sigh. "Where is he Bekah?" "With any luck, ripping that cow's bloody head off."<br>At her words, I got angry and rushed at her. "Where are they?!" I yelled in her face, pinning her to the floor. She seemed surprised that I was stronger than her, seeing as she still didn't know I was a hybrid. She kicked my stomach, causing me to fall off of her clutching my stomach. "You don't even like her! Why are you protecting her?!" she yelled in frustration as she pushed me against the truck. She took a crowbar and shoved it into my stomach then pushed harder so that it went through the truck as well. "If she dies, I lose my brothers. I can't lose them Bekah," I choked out through sobs of pain and sadness.

Elena's POV  
>Klaus held my arm tightly as he dragged me through the halls of the high school. "You put a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that. Now my bet, is it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing." "If you're going to kill me, just do it!" I yelled, trying to be brave. He chuckled darkly at my words, but continued to drag me through the halls. "Not until I know I'm right. But I do have ways of making you suffer."<br>I remained silent in fear as he dragged me into the gym where Stefan and a few more students were. "Attention, seniors. You have officially been busted. Prank night is over. Head on home," Klaus yelled in an American accent, which I thought was actually pretty good. "Klaus," Stefan said going into battle mode, but making no move because he had me. "Hello, Stefan. Just a moment," Klaus said smirking over at him then walking to two students. "You two. I remember you." "I'm sorry, who are you?" Dana asked questioningly looking at Klaus. "Oh, don't worry, I wasn't in my right head last time we met." He then compelled her saying, "Lift your foot up, please, Dana." He turned to Chad as she did so and compelled him as well. "If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?" I looked at him with shock on my face and shaking my head. "Don't, Klaus, you don't have to hurt anybody." "Oh, come on, love. Of course I do," he said smirking down at me.

Damon's POV  
>We had been driving for hours, but still, Katherine hadn't told me anything. Frustrated, I pulled the car over by a field and got out, Katherine following me. "Why are we stopping?" she asked curiously. I shrugged my shoulders and played it off, "I thought we might want to stretch our legs. Take a break from the sexual tension. I'm tired of driving, anyways. It's your turn." "Fine," she said rolling her eyes as I threw the keys into the field. "Hey! I…" "We're not going anywhere until you spill your guts," I said interrupting her.<br>"Fine," she said digging into her pocket and pulling out Elena's necklace. "Do you recognize this, hm? A little birdy told me that Klaus wants to get his hands on it." I gave her a questioning face and asked, "Why would Klaus want Elena's necklace?" "Does it matter? He wants it, and I have it. It's leverage, Damon. Always stay one step ahead of your enemy." "I'll keep that in mind," I said narrowing my eyes at her.  
>"But more importantly," she began with a bigger smirk on her face, "when I stole the necklace from Bonnie, I found out something else… Something better." "Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked intrigued. "Are you willing to do whatever it takes to stop Klaus? No turning back?" she asked hesitantly, not sure if she should trust me. After a minute, I nodded my head and she walked over to the trunk of the car. "Good, because this isn't going to win you any points at home." She opened the trunk and gestured for me to take a look inside. When I took a peak, I saw Jeremy lying in it, unconscious. "Jeremy? Really?"<p>

Elena's POV  
>"Keep it up," Klaus said to Dana who was now struggling to stay on only one foot. "Where's Gene? What did you do to her?" Stefan asked with an angry glare on his face. At the mention of Gene, I saw pain flash through his eyes, then was quickly replaced with anger. "Genevieve is on a time out," he said through gritted teeth. Just then, Bonnie and Matt walked into the gym. "Bonnie, get out of here!" I yelled, hoping she would be able to save herself. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up," he said smirking over to Bonnie. "Now we can get started." He turned to Dana and raised a calming hand to her, "Ah, Dana, why don't you relax? You and Chad sit tight." Dana immediately fell into Chad's arms crying as Stefan ran to comfort her and as Klaus turned to Bonnie. "I assume you're the reason Elena's still walking around alive?" "That's right. If you want to blame someone, blame me," she said bravely. "Oh, there's no need for blame, love. Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix."<br>The doors of the gym slammed open as a pretty blonde girl walked in dragging Tyler behind her. What the hell? "Get off of me!" Tyler yelled while trying to fight her off, but it wasn't working. "Hush now," she said ignoring his cries. "I'd like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah. Word of warning, she can be quite mean." "Don't be an ass," she said while throwing Tyler into Klaus' open arms. "Leave him alone!" I yelled grabbing my hair in frustration as Stefan came to my side to calm me. "I'm going to make this very simple… Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during transition. It's quite horrible, actually."  
>He bit into his wrist, then made Tyler drink his blood as we all watched in horror. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie. And for Tyler's sake, you better hurry," he said then snapped his neck. We continued to stare with our mouths hanging open and eyes wide at Tyler's, now dead, body.<br>Bonnie, Matt, Stefan and I sat next to Tyler's body. Matt wasn't handling this well. "He killed him." "He's not dead. Klaus' blood will turn him into a vampire." "And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through his transition. Go on, then. Go and fetch your grimoires and enchantments and what-not. I'll hold on to Elena," he said then grabbed my arm, pulling me away from an angry Stefan, forcing me to stand up. "For safe-keeping." I nodded my head at Bonnie and she took Matt and left.  
>"So this is the latest doppelgänger? The original one was much prettier," she said studying me with crossed arms. "Enough, Rebekah. Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?" She sighed then dragged Tyler out of the gym. "Just ignore her. Petty little thing."<p>

Damon's POV  
>I sat down on a bench that was a small distance from the car as Jeremy lay on the table top, still unconscious. "I'm listening," I said getting up from my seat and beginning to pace. "What if I told you there was a way to kill Klaus? Not dagger dead, but dead, dead." I shook my head at her skeptically, "I'd say you were desperate and lying. Or drunk. Or desperate, lying and drunk." She rolled her eyes, "Do you remember my friend Pearl?" I widened my eyes then smirked at her. "Vividly." "Centuries ago, she told me about a vampire who knew how to kill Klaus. Then she wouldn't tell me anymore."<br>"Well, why not?" "Because it was her leverage. She knew it was valuable information, and wouldn't share it with me." I let out a frustrated sigh and stopped my pace. "Well, this is all great, but she's dead." "Which is why I never brought it up. Because she only ever told one other person." "Who?" I asked with narrowed eyes. "Her daughter, Anna." "Also dead," I said with a skeptical glare. "Which brings us right back around to…" she began as Jeremy woke up and said, "To me. Back around to me."

Vie's POV  
>I woke up and let out a loud groan. Thanks a lot Bekah. I lifted my head and looked around and saw that I was still pinned to the side of the truck. I groaned again and pulled the bar out, letting out a sigh. That feels much better.<br>I vamped to the high school and quickly searched the school, then deducted they were in the gym. I stormed in through the double doors and saw Elena and Stefan sitting and comforting a crying human couple. "Gene…" my brother said staring at me in happiness, but I continued to look around. When I looked up I saw Nik sitting in the bleachers with angry and watery eyes, clenching his jaw. "Nik," I said walking over to him. He let out an airy chuckle then jumped down and walked towards me. "Come to save your brothers' girl, Genevieve?" "Please let me explain," I said as my eyes began to water. "No need," he said not looking at me. "Nik!" I yelled, begging for him to look at me, but he didn't. "She means nothing to me. Whatever you ask of me I will do."  
>He turned to me with disbelieving eyes and nodded his head. "Fair enough, let's drink on it. Kill them," he said gesturing to the humans next to Elena and Stefan. I looked at them with teary and emotionless eyes and slowly made my way to them. "No! Gene, don't," Stefan said frantically. "He's not going to hurt me. He already said…" Elena protested as Klaus backhanded her face. She shrieked in pain as Stefan rushed to catch her and I rushed at Nik in anger. He growled, then grabbed me by my throat and held me in front of his face. "She means nothing to you? Your lies keep piling up!" "Nik, please. I am trying! I am trying to be faithful to you, but I can't lose my family!" I yelled through tears. "All I asked for was your loyalty. I didn't think I would have to resort to this…" He began to compel me, so I wasn't worried. I couldn't be compelled. "Stop fighting." "Nik, wait.." "I didn't want to do this, but now I'm going to have to." "Nik," I tried again, but was again interrupted. "You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey."<br>"No. Gene!" Elena yelled as Stefan and I chuckled darkly. Nik looked at us confused as to why it didn't seem to work. "I can't be compelled. I tried to tell you," I said as Nik glared at me. "Don't worry… I'll kill them Nik." I vamped out and rushed over to the young female, draining her dry, then did the same to the boy next to her.

Jeremy's POV (WHAAAAAAAT?!)  
>"This isn't going to work," I said to them. There was a low buzzing sound, and Katherine looked down at my cell phone. "I think that your witchy girlfriend's worried that you've run away with your ghostly lover," she said with a smirk, causing me to glare at her. "Stop with teeny bopper drama. Focus," Damon said to us. I nodded my head then took in a deep breath, as Anna appeared next to me. "I'm not helping them," she said shaking her head and glaring at Damon and Katherine. "No, it's okay to help." Katherine and Damon looked at each other, not really sure what to do, since they couldn't see Anna. "They're looking for a way to stop Klaus." "I don't care. Katherine is not a friend to you. Neither of them are." I let out a sigh as Damon asked, "What's she saying?"<br>"Well, she doesn't want to help you," I said to them with pursed lips. Katherine then leaned into Damon's ear whispering something. I watched confused as Anna continued to glare. "Jeremy, I just want you to know, it's nothing personal," Damon said then slammed my head against the table. I grabbed at my head, trying to steady the splitting headache I now had. "Ouch! What the hell?!" "Jeremy!" Anna yelled worriedly as I gave her a reassuring smile. "Anna, I know you can hear me. Tell us what you know. The sooner the better for your little boyfriend here." She let out a frustrated groan then said, "They're looking for Mikael." "Mikael," I said to Damon and Katherine. "Mikael. Is that his name?" Katherine asked. "Who's Mikael?"  
>Anna sighed. "The vampire who hunts vampires. You don't want to wake him. He will kill all of you." "What's she saying?" "Hello!" Katherine and Damon said in frustration. "He's a vampire and a hunter, and you guys would be idiots to wake him." I looked at Anna confused for a moment. "What do you mean, wake him? "It's time to go find the keys," Damon said now paying me no attention. "Mhm."<p>

Vie's POV  
>I finished drinking from the guy as I heard Nik say, "It's always nice to see a vampire in their true element. The species has become such a broody lot." I immediately choked on the blood and did a mixture of choking and laughing. Nik smirked at me as Stefan rolled his eyes at our childishness. "No, you did this to her," he said angrily, very close to a growl. "I invited her to the party, mate. She's the one dancing on the table." Then Rebekah slammed through the double doors of the gym in rage and rushed at Elena. "Where is it?! Where's my necklace?" Stefan pushed her away, checking Elena for any wounds as I walked up to Rebekah and calmed her. "Bekah, what are you talking about?" "She has my necklace, look."<br>Nik walked over and leaned his chin on the top of my head as Rebekah showed us Caroline's cell phone where it showed a picture of Elena and Stefan, the necklace around her neck. "Well, well, more lies," he said as he squeezed my shoulders tightly. "Where… is it?" Rebekah asked facing Elena and Stefan again in anger. I grabbed Rebekah's hand to keep her from attacking and I could see her visibly begin to relax as Elena spoke. "I don't have it anymore." She growled then ripped her hand from mine, lunging at Elena and biting into her neck. Frustrated, Nik walked over and yanked Rebekah away then threw her across the room. "Knock it off!" His voice boomed through the gym and I shook in surprise. Seeing my fear, his eyes softened and he gave me a sorry smile.  
>"Make her tell me where it is, Nik! Genevieve, please," she said close to tears and begging. My heart was going out to her. That was the last memory of her mother, who she loved dearly. I sighed and walked towards Elena, then stopped in hurt when Stefan stepped in front of her to protect her from me. "Ouch," I said with emotionless eyes. Stefan looked regretful at his actions then pursed his lips. Nik glared at Stefan for hurting me and walked towards Elena. "Where's the necklace sweetheart? Be honest." "I'm telling the truth. Katherine stole it." I let out an airy chuckle. Of course she did. Sneaky little Katherine. "Katerina. Of course. Well, that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch, but since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?"<br>Nik walked over to a table on the sidelines of the basketball court and started the timer on the score board. "20 minutes. If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again, Genevieve." I looked at him questioningly as he kept an angry and serious face. "Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena. To ensure that everything goes smoothly," he began then rushed to Stefan and snapped his neck.  
>I stared speechlessly with wide eyes at my brother's temporarily dead body as Klaus walked over to me. "Do it, Genevieve. Imagine how much better off their lives would be without her," he whispered in my ear. I nodded my head emotionlessly as he smiled. "No, Klaus! Don't do this to her! You care about her don't you? If she kills me she'll lose her family, the only thing that matters to her. Think about how much pain she'll be in!" Nik looked at her for a moment, thinking over her words then turned to me with serious eyes. "No one leaves. If she tries to run, fracture her spine." I nodded my head numbly as Rebekah gave me a sorry expression. I gave her a forced smile and nodded my head again, telling her I'd be fine. She smiled at me as well then left to follow after Nik, who walked out of the gym.<p>

Damon's POV  
>Katherine and Jeremy were sitting on the bench as I paced to try and come up with a plan. As I paced, I turned and saw that Jeremy was beginning to nod off. "Don't fall asleep, Jer. You might have a concussion." He sat up and rubbed his eyes then glared at me. "Thanks for the concern, dick." "Oh, stop pouting. He took one for the team. Everyone back home will thank you once Klaus is dead," Katherine said while glaring. "Where's my phone?" I asked patting my pants and jacket to check for it. Katherine held it out to me with a smirk and shaking her head. "Do you need to check in with Elena? Make sure it's okay you pummeled her little baby bro?" she asked in a babying tone to tease me. Jeremy was silently laughing, but trying to cover it up, so I just glared at him. "Of course you had it." "What can I say? I needed you present here and now." "Whatever."<br>Katherine sighed as I looked through my messages. "Whoa, Bonnie's been texting me." Jeremy immediately got up, which I saw made him feel slightly dizzy, with a worried face. "What is it?" "It's Klaus." "No," Katherine said stepping closer with a stern face. "No turning back, Damon." "Shut up, Katherine." "Hey, look at the big picture," she said waving her hands above her head for effect. "The best shot at taking out Klaus is by finding Mikael." I looked at Jeremy and gave him the keys to the car. "Stay with her so Anna can guide you. I'm going back." "You're going to get yourself killed. The Damon I remember wouldn't have been that stupid," she said angrily as I turned away.  
>I sighed then turned back to her with a nonchalant face. "I wouldn't have done it for you," I said shrugging my shoulders than turning back around to rush home.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I was pacing back-and-forth in the gym as Elena held Stefan's body in her lap. I looked up at the clock and saw there was only six minutes left. "We need to do something," she said frantically over-and-over again trying to come up with a solution. "I know that, Elena," I said uninterested as I continued to pace. I can stall it, but if Klaus comes and sees that I didn't drink from her he'll be pissed. "Gene, you can do this. When that buzzer goes off, just… just drink from me." I let out a loud laugh as I shook my head.<br>I stopped my pacing and turned to her with a mixture of frustration, sadness and anger. "You don't get it. I can't stop, Elena! I listen to the words that come out of your mouth, and all I hear is the sound of your heart pumping blood through your body. I can't drink your blood, but if Nik walks in and sees that I didn't drink from you, he'll go crazy." "I don't believe that," she said placing Stefan on the floor and standing up. "You can fight it. You just have to want it bad enough." "Why, Elena?" I asked throwing my arms up in the air. This was irritating. "Because of my brothers?" "Yes! That's right, Gene. Because you love them. You'll fight because after everything that you have all been through, you owe it to them!"  
>I let out an airy laugh as my eyes began to water. Why me? This is all Esther's fault! "I would do anything for them, but you know what, you're right. You're right. I owe them everything, because through all of this, they are the one thing that has kept me from giving up; from turning it all off. But I can't help what I am, Elena. The more blood that I get, the more I want, and if I get so much as near yours… You're dead."<p>

Klaus' POV  
>I stood in the shadows of the hallway as Bonnie and the quarterback talked. "As soon as you're feeling better, I'm going to kill you," she said punching his arm. He chuckled lightly and gave her a one-armed hug. "It worked. I saw her, I saw Vicki." Who's Vicki? Did I miss something here? "You did?" "She said she had a message for you." "For me?" "From the witch that put the hybrid curse on Klaus," he said catching my attention. I listened in carefully as they slowly approached me. "She said that Elena shouldn't have survived Klaus' ritual. The hybrids can't transition because Elena's still alive." Oh really now? They both passed me as the witch mumbled out the wolf boy's name. "He's going to die, isn't he?" The human asked worriedly with sadness in his voice.<br>I stepped out of the shadows behind them with a smirk on my face. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." They both turned around in surprise then looked scared when they saw me. I chuckled lightly. I do love inflicting fear with my mere presence. "Given the choice, doppelgänger or a hybrid, I go hybrid every time."

Vie's POV  
>There was only a few seconds left on the clock and I was still pacing. This couldn't happen. It shouldn't happen like this. I let out a frustrated groan as I stopped pacing and pulled at my hair lightly. "Elena, you're going to have to run," I said squeezing my eyes shut to think. Think about what? There was nothing else I could do. "But Klaus… Gene you love him. You have to earn his trust," she said causing me to snap my eyes open. "Don't, Elena. Just don't. I know what he said, but if you stay, it won't matter. There's no other way," I yelled through frustrated tears. "There is another way, Gene. You have to drink from me."<br>The buzzer went off, causing us both to stop and just look at each other. The emotion fell from my eyes, tears still running down my cheeks. "Gene, we love you. Don't give up," she begged. I let out a choked sob and wiped at my eyes. "I'm so sorry," I said putting my hands over my eyes. I let out a sigh and showed my vampire face to her. "Run!"  
>She took off through the school as I silently cried over my brother's body. Stefan please don't hate me. I cried for a minute when Nik came in dragging Elena behind him. "Well this is fascinating," he said with hurt eyes. He was getting tired of my betrayal, and I was getting tired of betraying him. "The only thing stronger than your craving for blood is your love for your brothers. Why don't you turn it off?" I froze and looked at him appalled. "What?" "You're strong, Genevieve. But doesn't it get tiring? Always risking yourself for your brothers, being hated for doing the right thing… loving someone who does not love you back…"<br>There it was. The words I've been afraid of. My heart broke into a billion little pieces at his word and my humanity faded to a small shard. "How dare you," I said in hurt and anger. He looked sad for saying it, but he made no move to take it back. "You want me to turn it off?!" I yelled standing up and walking into his face. Elena seemed scared that he would snap at me, but he wouldn't. He'd never lay a hand on me. "Do you?!" I yelled again smacking him upside the head. He let go of Elena and stood, taking all my blows as I cried and hit him. Finally, he grabbed my hands to stop me as I broke in his arms. "Fine," I said looking down at the floor, tears now silently falling down my face. "I'll turn it off." I looked up at him with tear filled eyes as all his hurt and loneliness finally showed in his. "But don't expect me to ever forgive you," I said pulling my arms away from him.  
>I took a step back and bumped into a hard body. Surprised, I turned around to see Stefan staring at me in fear and sadness. He was scared I would flip the switch, and sad because he knew how badly that hurt me. "Gene," he tried to say to convince me not to, but I shook my head and pulled away from him. I gave him a sad smile as slowly, I flipped the switch of emotions. Wow, nothing. I felt empty. It didn't hurt anymore. That part was 100 times better. But I also didn't feel good. I turned to Nik and Elena with a smirk as she stepped behind him slightly in fear. "Well, don't you look yummy," I said showing my vampire face and rushing over to her. I bit into her neck and drank as her delicious, warm blood ran down my neck. There was a ruckus around me, but I tuned it all out. All I cared about was this insatiable hunger in my stomach.<p>

Klaus' POV  
>I stormed out of the gym and walked towards Rebekah and the werewolf boy. I ignored the pain that was throbbing in my chest until I couldn't any longer. I stopped in the middle of the hallway and growled at myself. How could I do that? How could I tell her to turn it all off? I angrily punched the lockers that lined the walls repeatedly and let out frustrated groans. I sank to the floor with my back against the wall and put my head in my hands.<br>I pushed her away again. I pushed her away and this time she wasn't going to come back. She'll never forgive me, and even if there was a chance that she could, she wouldn't turn her humanity back on for it. Why? As I wallowed in my own pain I slowly felt the aching in my chest increase until I couldn't help but release a few stray tears. "I love her," I said to myself.  
>I froze when the words escaped my lips then stared at the wall with wide eyes. What was I thinking? I couldn't love her. Love was a vampire's greatest weakness. Shaking my head, I rubbed away the few tears that fell from my eyes and stood up. I took in a deep breath and walked towards the classroom Rebekah was in to turn myself a hybrid.<br>I walked into the class and saw Rebekah sitting on the teacher's desk, while the young couple held each other. "Well, the verdict's in. The original witch says the doppelgänger should be dead." Rebekah seemed to perk up at that and hopped off the desk with a hopeful face. "Does that mean I can kill her?" I let out a slight chuckle then shook my head. "No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite." "What?!" she shrieked in a whiney tone. I flinched at her high decimals then rubbed my ear along with the werewolf boy. "I thought only Caroline could hit the high of a decimal," he said with a frown. Caroline smacked his arm as I couldn't help but laugh at his humor. "Call it a hunch," I said walking over to him with a test tube of Elena's blood.  
>Rebekah grabbed Caroline so she couldn't interfere and they both watched. "Elena's blood. Drink it," I said crossing my arms waitingly. "No! No, no, no, Tyler, don't!" Caroline yelled trying to fight Rebekah's hold. I looked over at her dismissively then looked back at Tyler. "If he doesn't feed, he'll die, anyway, love. Consider this an experiment." He slowly put the test tube up to his lips and struggled to drink it, but eventually did. "There we go. Good boy."<br>Suddenly, Tyler began groaning in pain and clutching at his body. He screamed out as he fell onto the floor. Caroline seemed worried, but Rebekah continued to hold her back. He continued to groan and writhe for a few minutes, when he clutched at his head and began to scream louder. His face began to change and his hybrid face showed. I smirked down at him and nodded my head proudly. "Well, that's a good sign."

Rebekah's POV (WHAAAAAAT)  
>Nik and I stood outside the hospital leaning on a few cars as we talked. "So the doppelgänger isn't the problem. Her blood is the solution." "Seems so," he said not looking at me. Something is wrong with him, I thought eyeing him carefully "How did you know?" "Well, you know how much the original witch hated me. Do you honestly think I would do anything other than the opposite of what she says?" I shook my head as I looked up at the stars. "A thousand years in the grave and she's still screwing with you." "Well, it makes sense if you think about it from her perspective. It was her failsafe in case I ever broke the hybrid curse. The doppelgänger had to die in order for me to become a hybrid, but if she was dead…" "Then you couldn't sire yourself a new species."<br>"Leaving me alone for all time." I looked at him questioningly as he didn't seem to notice. "Is that what this is about? Your obsession with hybrids. You just don't want to be alone? Because from what I've been seeing, Genevieve would be happy to stay beside you for eternity." At the mention of her a deep sadness rushed through his eyes causing my own to widen. "What have you done?" He looked at me with his hurt eyes not saying a word. "What did you do to her?!" I yelled in his face. He pushed me away and began to pace in frustration. "I did what must be done. I told her to turn her humanity off." I froze and looked at him disgustedly and shook my head. "She loved you. She would do most anything you asked of her. How dare you. Do not whine about being alone if you are the one that made sure you would be," I said storming away and leaving him there.

Damon's POV  
>I walked up to Klaus as a smoking blonde walked away in rage. "Well, look who finally decided to show up to the party," he said giving me a smirk. "Where is she?" I asked with gritted teeth. "Genevieve? Or Elena?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued, "Ah, she's making a donation to a greater cause." I glared at him then began to walk to the hospital to check on her but he sped in front of me shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't let you interfere, mate." "Well then, you'll have to kill me." "Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your sister, and unlike her, I keep my word."<br>I froze and looked at him questioningly as he grabbed me and pushed me against a car. "Although, you know what, thinking about it now, she probably doesn't care that much anymore." "What did you do to her?!" I yelled immediately as I tried to push him off of me with all my strength. He ignored my question and was about to kill me when I shouted, "Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?"  
>He stopped and stared at me shocked for a moment. "What do you know about Mikael?" "Just that he knows you're here," I said with a smirk as he backed away from me slowly. "You're bluffing," he said with a fake smirk, but I could see the fear in his eyes. "Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage." He growled then grabbed me and threw me on the floor. I jumped up as fast as I could to fight back, but he was gone.<p>

Vie's POV  
>I walked into the boarding house and straight towards the den and saw Elena, Damon and Stefan sitting on the couch with glasses of scotch. "Well, isn't this cozy?" I asked leaning against the doorway with a smirk. They all turned to look at me and Stefan and Damon both stood up. Stefan stood in front of Elena protectively, while Damon ran and pulled me into his arms. "Gene, I'm so glad you're okay," he mumbled into my neck. I let out a giggle from his breath tickling my neck and patted his back. "Yeah, Damon, I'm fine." "Damon, that's not Gene," Stefan said glaring at me. I smirked back at him as Damon pulled away and looked between us. "What are you talking about, Stefan?" "She flipped the switch," Elena said sadly.<br>Damon turned to me with wide eyes, begging for me to deny it but I just shrugged my shoulders and continued my smirk. "Why?" "Nik was right. All I ever did was protect you and Stefan and all it ever earned me was pain. Even the strongest fall, Damon." "What are you doing here, Vie?" Stefan asked. "Last I checked, I live here. Nik is gone, but he's asked me to keep watch on Elena until he returns. From now on, you're under my protection," I said with a teasing smile. They all seemed a bit confused and just looked at me as such, causing me to laugh. "Well, by all means, carry on," I said walking up the stairs to my bedroom.  
>I immediately stripped down to my underwear and grabbed a pair of pajamas. I threw myself into my comfortable bed and relished in it. It's been so long since I've slept in my own bed. God, being on the road all summer was irritating. But here I am now, and I still only have one thing to say.<br>Thanks a-fucking-lot Esther.


	8. Chapter 7 - Going Back to High School

I woke up at around 6 A.M. from nightmares. I let out a loud scream as I jolted upward, covered in sweat, and hands trembling. That dream… "Gene?!" "Are you okay?!" my brothers yelled as they appeared at my side with terrified faces. I nodded my head as Damon gave me a small pat on the shoulder and Stefan gave my hand a squeeze. We sat in silence for a moment until it got awkward. "Thanks, but could you guys like, get out?" I asked with an emotionless face. Hurt rushed through their eyes at my words, causing that insufferable twinge in my chest. "Sorry," Stefan said as he followed Damon out of my room.

I got up, made my bed, then walked into my attached bathroom and took a bath. While in the tub, I lay in the warm water and thought about my dream.

The Dream  
>I was walking around a dark, foggy forest in the middle of the night. I could barely see five feet in front of me, and I was trembling. I was somehow wearing a nightgown that left most of my body exposed, causing me to wrap my arms around myself. I walked for what seemed like hours when I came to a clearing that was circular and had trees lining the edges. In the middle of it stood the one woman I feared, Esther.<br>"Come here, Genevieve," she said gesturing with her hand for me to come forward. My face was covered in fear as my eyes began to water. Keeping my head down, I walked towards her. Once she stood in front of me, I stopped, but didn't meet her eyes. I couldn't. "Genevieve, do you know why I am here?" I nodded my head silently as she lifted my chin to look at her. "I know why you have not done it, but it is your duty." I stepped back from her touch and shook my head as the tears streamed down my cheeks. "No. I can't do it. Mother, I love him!"  
>Esther's face filled with rage at my words and the beautiful night sky above us darkened. Lightning and thunder roared around us as I fell to the floor in fear and began to openly sob. "You will do your duty. If you do not, you will have betrayed your family, and for that, you will face the consequences!" She lifted her hand, with the palm facing me, chanting a spell I couldn't here as I felt a burning pain on my right collar bone.<br>I threw myself backward, screaming in pain. I writhed for a couple of seconds, clawing at my collar bone and the ground, begging for it to stop. "You WILL kill him, Genevieve!" Esther yelled, lowering her hand. The pain disappeared and I continued to cry as the sky cleared, revealing the stars. "I am sorry. You know I hate to hurt you," she said walking over to me. She bent down onto her knees and rubbed my cheek in a motherly way, then gave me a small kiss on the forehead. "I care for you, Genevieve. Please, don't make me hurt you again."

Snapping out of my thoughts, I unplugged my tub then stepped out, dried my body down and then walked to my vanity. I sat on the small bench and looked in the mirror at the small mark that was now on my collar bone. Get it together Vie. Think about everything he's done. Just do it, you won't feel a thing. You can even keep it off. I got up from the bench, walked towards my closet in a daze, and then picked out my outfit. Today was my first day of my "last year" of high school. Yaaaaay. I put on my outfit then sped to the Grill to find some yummy humans to feed on.  
>I walked in and saw that there were mainly only women there. But, hey, I'm not picky. I walked over to a blonde that was wearing a cute outfit and began playing nice girl. "Oh my god, I love your jacket! Where'd you get it?" The girl smiled at me then looked down at her jacket and answered, "I got it at the next city over. Nothing this cute could be found around here." I laughed at the truth behind her words then leaned in to compel her. "You are going to follow me, do as I say, and help me round up a group of girls." The blonde nodded her head and followed me around the bar until we had a group of six girls.<br>We walked back to the boarding house where I slowly drank from them all in turns. "Vie, we're bored!" whined the girls that I wasn't drinking from. I thought for a moment then sped to the attic and pulled out Twister. "Here ya go. Have at it," I said giving it to them. Four of the girls giggled and squealed in excitement and began playing as I drank the two others to their death. Once they were dead, I threw them on the floor in front of the stairs and went to get a towel to clean myself up a bit. I grabbed one from the linen closet then made my way back to the living room and pulled another girl next to me on the couch to drink from her as I decided to change the rules of Twister a bit.  
>As I was drinking from the right ankle of Tiffany, one of the girls playing Twister, I heard Damon and Stefan coming down the stairs. They let out annoyed groans then came into the living room and glared at me. I spun the spinner and let out a giggle, "Uh-oh. Alexandra, left hand please." Alexandra gave me her left hand so I could drink from her wrist, and then put it on a spot on the mat. "Hey, the two brunettes on the staircase owe me a Persian rug." I laughed as Stefan turned to Damon with narrowed eyes and shook his head as if asking "really?" "You mean they owe us a Persian rug?" I asked gesturing between my brothers and I. "It's our house, too, Damon. Ooh! Would you like a spin?" I asked holding the spinner out to them.<br>Stefan and Damon shook their heads at me as Stefan crossed his arms. "So this is what Klaus had in mind when he asked you to protect Elena?" I shrugged my shoulders and laid my head in Brittney's, the girl who was sitting with me on the couch's, lap. "These ladies are helping me be all that I can be," I said just as there was a knock at the door. Damon rolled his eyes and went to open it then came back with Rebekah. She had at least ten shopping bags in her arms and was looking around judgmentally. "Where's Vie?" "Who the hell are you?" Damon asked as Stefan rolled his eyes as well. "Klaus' little sister." "He left me here. My brother actually left me here, Vie!" I let out a sigh and got up from the couch, walking over to her. "Bekah, calm down."  
>"You're Klaus' sister?" Damon asked skeptically as Rebekah turned to him with a polite, and forced, smile. "Rebekah. Pleasure, I'm sure. Which one's my room?" she asked turning to me. I was just about to answer her when Stefan interrupted me. "You're not staying here." "Yes, she is. Come on Bekah, I'll show you to your room," I said grabbing half of the bags from her arms and taking her upstairs. "So I guess she's staying here," I heard Damon say to an angry Stefan as we walked up the stairs. I giggled at his nonchalance and led Bekah to the room that was connected to mine by the bathroom. "Bienvenue à la Pension de Salvatore!" <em>Welcome to the Salvatore Boarding House!<em> I said as I entered Bekah's new room with her following me.  
>She stood silently for a moment, looking around at her new room, and then smiled at me. "I love it."<p>

After five minutes of begging and helping her put her clothes in her closet, I persuaded Rebekah to get ready and come to school with me. We drove in my new car to the school and smirked as everyone looked at us enviously. Then, we walked into the building and towards the office to enroll. "Hello, how may I help you young ladies?" the receptionist asked us. We smiled at her as I leaned forward and compelled her. "My friend and I are starting school today. We are seniors and have already given you all the appropriate paperwork. My name is Genevieve Salvatore and my friend's name is Rebekah Mikaelson." The receptionist nodded her head numbly then seemed to snap out of a daze. "Alright dears, just hold on a moment and I'll get your schedules together." "Thank you," Rebekah said to the lady as she linked her arm through mine.  
>After about five minutes she gave us our schedules and we left to walk down the hall. "Let me see!" Rebekah said snatching my schedule away to compare them, then squealing in pleasure. "We have most of our classes together." I laughed at her excitement and linked our arms together again, leading her down the hall. "So I have to go find the doppelgänger, do you want to come?" Rebekah snorted and shook her head as she turned to walk the other way from me with nothing but a wave. "Well okay," I said watching her walk away, then walking towards the girl's bathroom when I bumped into Elena. Literally.<br>"Hey, it's my favorite human blood bag, Elena," I said as she tensed and hurt shined in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" I tilted my head to the side with a confused face then smiled at her. "What do you mean? I'm coming to school like Damon told me to. Go Timberwolves!" I said laughing at my own idiocy. "What? Why?" I shrugged my shoulders and turned to see a few teenagers passing by. "Klaus wants me to keep an eye on you. I'm just doing what I'm told." She narrowed her eyes at me accusingly then spoke again, "Gene, he didn't compel you, and you turned it off. So why are you listening to him?" I looked at her in surprise and studied her face. She was frustrated, sad, a bit angry, and vulnerable. I smiled at her then looked down at the floor. "Elena, when you live as long as us, and when you have nothing left to live for, you do most things to pass the time."  
>Elena looked at me sadly and was about to leave to class when Alaric had to come "save the day." "Is there a problem here?" he asked glaring at me. "No problem here. Why don't you run along and go play teacher?" Angry, Ric grabbed my arm and dragged me into his empty classroom, then threw me against the wall. "Why? Why did you do it Gene?" he asked with an emotional and choked up voice. I had been preparing myself for a hit, but hearing his voice, my eyes snapped open in shock. I slowly looked up at his face and saw he was fighting an internal battle of sadness and anger. "Ric?" "Gene, all summer I helped Damon look for you, and all summer I watched Stefan and Elena search through hundreds of murder cases in the hopes that it would lead to you. Now you're back, but at the same time, you're not back." Seeing Ric like this… I couldn't take it when my friends were hurting. Especially not when it's because of me. That's when I felt that insufferable tinge in my chest. My humanity was fighting its way back. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Ric's neck and pulled him into a tight hug that he immediately complied to.<br>"I'm sorry, Ric," I said giving him a gentle squeeze. He held onto me for a minute until Stefan came into class in a rush. He seemed like he was on a mission to stop someone, so I figured Elena told him about how Ric dragged me away. "What… is going on here?" Ric pulled away and looked at Stefan with pursed lips "Nothing." "So, Ric, where should I sit?" I asked turning to look in between the two men. Stefan eyed me carefully as Ric thought for a moment. "Why don't you just wait and see what seats are empty?"  
>I nodded my head and stood off to the side of the doorway as the first bell rang through the school and students entered the classroom. Five minutes later the tardy bell rang and Alaric began to speak to the class. "Welcome back, seniors. Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders… the Native Americans." Right as he was about to introduce me, Rebekah entered, linked arms with me, and asked, "What about the Vikings?" Ric looked over at me then to Rebekah with a questioning face. "There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States. Who are you?" he asked her with narrowed eyes. "My name's Rebekah. I'm new. And history's my favorite subject."<p>

Bekah wanted to gain the full high school experience so she decided to try out for the cheerleading team. She begged and whined for me to try out as well, but cheerleading was not my thing. Instead, she dragged me along to practice with her. "Has anybody seen Dana?" Caroline asked as we walked up to the group of young girls. I giggled at the question, since I killed Dana, and Bekah smirked. "Sounds like you have an opening on the squad." "What are you doing?" Rebekah ignored her question and began to stretch as I sat down on the bench that was on the sideline of the football field. "Hey. Hey. You can't just come here and infiltrate all of our lives." "I'm only interested in yours. Your spunk, your popularity," she said looking over to Tyler, who was running back-and-forth across the field with the other football players. "Maybe even your boyfriend."  
>I sat with my elbows rested on the back of the bench and watched the football practice take place. "It's not the ballet, ladies. Let's move! Let's move!" their coach yelled. He was working them pretty hard, especially since they had just come back from summer vacation. They need to be eased into it, not thrown in. Frustrated with the coach, I saw Tyler jog over and compel him. "I think we're done here, coach." I smirked at his gall, as the coach seemed unfazed. "Did you have a mental breakdown, Lockwood? Get back in line." I guess Tyler was still getting the hang of things. He looked over at me in a semi questioning way and I gave a slight nod of my head to reassure him. He nodded his head in return then tried to compel the coach again. "I have a better idea. Shut the hell up so we can go get drunk at the bonfire." The coach nodded numbly and yelled out, "Hit the showers, gentlemen." Tyler turned to me with a giant smile of accomplishment that I couldn't help but return, as Caroline stormed over to him in anger.<br>"Try to be a little more subtle, Tyler." "Coming from the queen of subtlety? Relax. I'm in total control," he said rubbing her arm to soothe her, even though it didn't work. "Then why are you acting like this?" He seemed frustrated and shook his head at her. "Drop it, Caroline. I'm fine. I've never been better. Klaus has given me this… gift." Ah, so that's what it is. Nik really did sire a new breed. "What?!" she shrieked causing me to flinch slightly. Damn, I didn't think human vocal chords could reach that decimal."  
>"Whoa, check out the new cheerleader." "She is so hot." I turned my head to see Rebekah showing off by doing cheerleading tricks, and then ending with a split, as everyone around cheered for her. Rebekah smiled triumphantly at Caroline, because now she was definitely on the team, and Caroline seemed pissed. "My God!" she yelled in frustration as Tyler seemed impressed. "Damn, girl's got moves." I laughed and turned to look at Bekah when I saw Elena and Stefan running around the track.<br>I decided to join them in their running and jogged next to Elena and said, "Look at you two being all fit. Hey, you guys going to the bonfire tonight? Sounds like fun, right?" Stefan rolled his eyes at me as Elena shrugged off my attempt to get under their skin. "Seriously, Vie, leave us alone." They both turned to run in the opposite direction, so I just jogged backwards and kept up with them. "You think I'm annoying now? Wait till homecoming. Hey, Elena, which of my brothers are you taking, by the way? That must be weird," I said just as a tall guy pushed Elena by accident, but didn't even apologize for it. "Hey dick wad, didn't your mother ever teach you any manners!" I yelled after him, causing him to stop in his tracks and turn to me with a glare. "What did you just say to me?" He stomped towards me in an "intimidating" way, and then towered over me with crossed arms.  
>I crossed my arms as well and gave him a bored face. He thinks he's scary. HA! "You heard me douche bag, apologize." Angry, the guy raised his hand to try and smack me, but Stefan grabbed his arm before anything happened. "Touch her and I break your arm," Stefan said squeezing the guy's hand roughly. He fell to the ground in pain and let out a loud groan, causing me to smirk. "Stefan." Elena had never seen Stefan act violently, and the sight of what was happening caused fear to shine bright in her eyes. Seeing that he was scaring Elena, Stefan let go of the douche's arm and crossed his arms as well. "Beat it." Didn't have to tell that guy twice. He left right away and ran all the way to the lockers while I laughed. "Nice one, Steffie," I said linking an arm through his and punching his arm teasingly with the other. He laughed for a moment then let out a sad sigh. I knew what he was thinking. I was almost acting like myself. It almost felt like nothing had changed. But, really, everything had.<p>

Elena's POV  
>I laid against a bench lifting weights and letting out my frustration. I pulled the bar down to my chest and took in a deep breath, then pushed it up and let it out. As I was repeating this, Damon walked into the room. "What? Are you going to bench press a vampire?" I rolled my eyes, but didn't stop as I asked, "Do you actually know what's happening right now? Gene called me a human blood bag. She's a completely different person." Damon walked towards me then pushed down on the weight, slightly pressing down on my chest. "Ugh! What are you doing?" "Helping you out," he said with narrowed eyes. I guess I touched a nerve. "Damon!" I said with pleading eyes. I hadn't meant to hurt him. "Come on, Buffy!" "Stop it!"<br>Damon got up and let go of the bar as I used all my remaining strength to push the bar back into the holster. I sat up, taking in deep breaths and mumbled, "Like one obnoxious Salvatore isn't bad enough." He shrugged his shoulders, widened his eyes, and then smirked at me. "You called, I'm here. What's your plan, oh warrior princess?" At that moment Stefan walked in and glared at Damon. "We want to lock Gene up, at least until this Mikael guy comes, kills Klaus, and then we can worry about helping her," Stefan said. Damon looked between us with an unreadable face for a moment then let out a sigh. "You guys don't get it. Gene's off the rails." "You've helped her before." "This is different. It's not a quick fix, Elena. Her humanity's gone. Lights out, no one's home."  
>Stefan let out a sigh then looked down at the floor and shook his head with watery eyes. I walked over to him and hugged him reassuringly, then stepped to his side and held his hand as he spoke. "Damon, she's still there. I know she is. Today, it was almost like she was herself again. We can't give up on her." I looked at Damon and his eyes were also teary and had the same light of hope Stefan's did. The both really miss Gene. Damon nodded his head and gave the closest thing to a smile I've ever seen on his face as he walked forward and patted Stefan's back. "We'll do whatever it takes."<p>

"I'll lure Gene away from the bonfire. Then when she's distracted…" I said leaving off as Stefan stared at the wall with sad eyes and said, "I'll snap her neck." "Can't Bonnie just juju her or something?" I looked at Damon with stern eyes and shook my head. "I'm trying to keep Bonnie out of this. I don't trust that Gene won't hurt her. Caroline, are you covered?" I looked at Caroline who was nodding her head. "Yes! I will make sure that the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready." She seemed a bit upset about having to go back to the jail cell, with what her dad did to her. She agreed it do it, but I knew it was difficult.  
>"We're forgetting a key player here. Rebekah. Wherever Gene goes, the blonde ponytail tends to follow." I nodded my head and gave Damon a pleading smile. "Which is why it's your job to keep her away." He looked at all of us in shock. "How?! She's an original. Last time I checked, we're out of daggers." I shrugged my shoulders. "So then preoccupy her with your charm." "You might have better luck finding the dagger," Ric mumbled, causing me to snort. Damon glared at me as I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing anymore. "Are you ever not going to be mad at me for a day?" Damon asked Ric with frustration. "Doubtful."<br>Just then Tyler arrived and walked straight to Caroline and gave her a small kiss. "Sorry I'm late. What's going on?" I gave him a smile then got to business. "We need you to help Caroline lock Gene up." He looked down at the floor then shook his head at us. "You can't do that to Gene." "Why not?" Caroline asked narrowing her eyes. "Trust me, Tyler; it's in her best interest." He nodded his head as he thought about it then shrugged his shoulders and shook his head again. "Yeah, but it's not in Klaus's." "But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler. You know, why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion?"  
>"Uh-oh," Damon said narrowing his eyes at Tyler. "What?" Alaric asked Tyler as we all stared at him in shock. "Klaus made me who I am, Caroline. I owe him everything." "What is going on?" I asked confused. Damon grabbed a vervain dart and kept his eyes on Tyler as Tyler said, "I'm just going to go." As he was about to leave, Damon rushed to him and stuck the dart in his neck. "What are you doing?!" Caroline yelled throwing him aside and kneeling beside Tyler. "He's been sired," Damon said nonchalantly. "What?" we all said simultaneously. "Sired. He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus' blood created him." "Loyal how?" I asked worriedly. "He'll seek acceptance from his master. It's really rare, but maybe not so much in hybrids."<br>Caroline, who had been kneeling by Tyler's side the whole time, looked up at us with worried eyes and asked, "So how do I fix him?" "Get a new boyfriend," Damon said then walked out of Alaric's classroom.

Vie's POV  
>I walked over to Bekah who was pumping the keg to pour herself some beer. "You all right there?" I asked giggling at her bored face. She shrugged her shoulders and continued her lame attempt at pumping the keg. "I thought Tyler would be here." I laughed at her and shook my head. "You're into Tyler now? Bekah, isn't that a bit fickle?" I asked while poking her stomach teasingly. "Well, when your brother gets over that Elena bitch, then I'll settle. Until then, a girl has needs." I busted out laughing at her words and hugged her, causing her to laugh along with me.<br>As we slowly stopped laughing, Elena walked up to us, gave a small "excuse me," and pumped the keg as well and poured herself some beer. "Hey, Elena. What are you doing?" I asked letting go of my hug with Rebekah and slinging my arm across her shoulders. "I'm having fun, Gene. You have a problem with that?" she asked wolfing down her full cup of beer.  
>I gave her an impressed smile and nodded my head. "Well go ahead, but take it easy. I hear you're kind of a lightweight." Rebekah smirked at my words, then crossed her arms. "Uh huh. Really? You think I'm going to let a blood addict tell me how to drink?" Elena then left as Rebekah laughed at me.<p>

I leaned against a tree at the edge of the bonfire as I watched two football players hold up a boy I didn't recognize for a keg stand. Everyone around us was yelling "drink", including Elena, who was laughing her ass off. I smiled and watched as she had a good time. Finally, she got that stick out of her ass and decided to just have fun. Then she raised her glass to me, as I did the same, and we both drank at the same time.

Damon's POV  
>I walked through the crowds of drunken teenagers at the bonfire in search for Rebekah. I had just about given up, when I saw her sitting on a log with a bored expression, roasting marshmallows. "What? No friends your own age?" she asked as she held a marshmallow over the fire. "Like you can talk," I snapped at her as I took a seat, causing her to shrug her shoulders. "Is this supposed to be fun? I've been through ten of these," she said pulling the burnt marshmallow from the fire. "No, you're just looking at it all wrong. It's a little rough on the outside," I said taking the burnt marshmallow off the stick. "But the inside… yum," I said widening my eyes then smirking at her as I put it in her mouth.<br>She watched me carefully as I pulled my finger back and licked it clean. Then, her eyes widened in surprise at the taste of the gooey center of the marshmallow, and she nodded her head in approval. "It's good." "Yep."

Vie's POV  
>I stood behind Elena silently as she watched Damon and Rebekah flirting up a storm. I finally couldn't hold in my laugh anymore and let out a small giggle. Surprised at hearing me behind her, she jumped slightly then glared at me. "What was that look?" I asked with a smirk. She gave me a confused face then asked, "What look?" "My brother's got his flirt on, and you're jealous." She narrowed her eyes at me in a glare and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not jealous." I put up my hands in surrender and laughed at her quick denial. "All right, that's my mistake." "Whatever, I'm out of here," she said rolling her eyes then pushing past me to walk away. I rolled my eyes as well, then followed after her.<p>

Damon's POV  
>I sat next to Rebekah as I made a marshmallow sandwich with two graham crackers. "Can't believe you've never had one of these before," I said as I handed it to her. "Well, I've been in a casket for 90 years." "That's no excuse," I said smirking at her as she took a bite of it. She let out a pleased moan as she licked her fingers clean. "Why are you being so nice to me? You hate me. You should be mean." I shrugged my shoulders and gave a teasing smile as I said, "Well, I could be mean if that's what you're into."<br>She rolled her eyes at me and finished her sandwich as I stared silently at the flames of the bonfire. "You're distracting me. Why?" she asked as she turned to me with narrowed eyes. She watched my expression carefully, and it felt like she was slowly catching on to the real reason behind my sudden kindness. "Just trying to be a good housemate." She nodded her head and grabbed the stick she used for the marshmallows. "There's never a fair fight between us, Damon. Remember that." The next thing I know, she stabbed the stick through my stomach and left. I groaned in pain as I pulled it out and watched her as she left with a glare.

Vie's POV  
>I watched as Elena lay on one of the benches at the top of the bleachers looking at the sky. She was drunk. "I used to know every constellation. How did I forget them all?" "You're drunk. Come on, I'll take you home." She got up then rummaged through her pockets for something. "Fine, umm, let me find my car keys." I let out a sigh and put my hands on my hips, "You're joking right?" She looked at me with a clueless face then began to laugh drunkenly. "Uh-oh. It's the fun police. I thought that "Vie" was supposed to be the life of the party." I rolled my as at her and nodded my head. "Oh I am. Just not when I have to babysit a drunken teenager."<br>At my words, she walked to the railing of the bleachers and climbed over it. "What are you, five? Get down," I said walking towards her. "Why? Are you afraid that I'm going to fall?" she let go of the railing then grabbed onto it again, pretending to fall. "Oh. Ha. That was close. Klaus wouldn't be happy with you," she said in her drunken slur. I rolled my eyes and took a step closer to her. "You're hilarious. Let's go." "Look, Gene, no hands," she said faking it again. I glared at her, un-amused as she laughed loudly. She did it again, but this time, she actually fell. She let out a scream as I jumped off the bleachers and landed on the ground just in time to catch her.  
>When she landed in my arms, she grabbed onto my shoulders and let out a shaky breath. "I knew you'd catch me," she said just as I felt a presence behind me. I put her down and turned around in time to see Stefan reach towards me, and snap my neck.<p>

Elena's POV  
>I watched as Gene's body fell to the floor, and Stefan's face filled with sandess. "Are you okay?" he asked looking up at me with worried eyes. I nodded my head and gave him a sympathetic smile, then walked to him and gave him a hug. "I'm fine… What about you?" He hugged me back, nuzzling his nose into my neck and gave me a tight squeeze. We stayed like that for a few minutes, when he pulled away and gave me a kiss. It was short, but I loved it just as much as the rest. Stefan sighed then bent down and gently picked Gene up, and began to walk towards Alaric's truck.<br>When we got there I opened the door to the back seat and got in. Then, Stefan placed Gene in the back seat with me and closed the door. I laid her across the seat and placed her head in my lap as I lightly played with her hair. I smiled down at her as I remembered the day we were in the Lockwood's mansion with Elijah. She had been lying with her head in my lap that time as well. I giggled slightly as I remembered the look on her face as she battled to stay awake as I ran my fingers through her hair. Then I frowned. I miss Gene. I miss how she always told me what was on her mind. I miss her giant, compassionate heart that cared for everyone and always tried to put a smile on people's faces.  
>From outside I saw Stefan turn to look behind him where there was a can of gas. He turned to me with pursed lips and shook his head as he said (THAT RHYMED), "I see all the geniuses came out to the bonfire tonight." I laughed as I saw flames rise behind Stefan. My eyes widened in fear as he turned around to look at the source. Slowly, the flames came towards the car, and in an instant, it was engulfed. Stefan immediately rushed to the car and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Elena! Open the door!" I leaned forward to try to unlock it, but every time I did, it locked itself again. "Stefan, I can't! It won't open!"<br>Frantic, Stefan walked to another car and grabbed a lacrosse stick, then banged on the window. No matter how hard he hit the window, it wouldn't break. I pulled Gene into my lap and kicked the window to try to break it, but that didn't work either. As Stefan tried to free us, the fire grew stronger and smoke began to enter the car, causing me to cough. I began having a coughing fit, as Stefan continued to try to open the car. I then shook Gene to wake her. "Gene! Gene, wake up!" She let out a low groan and her eyes fluttered open. "What's going on?" She seemed a bit weak still from having her neck snapped, but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the flames surrounding us.  
>Slowly, she climbed over the seat and into the trunk and held her hand out for me to do the same. Once I climbed over, she grabbed my hand then leaned back and kicked the trunk door. At first, nothing happened, but she kicked it a second time and it flew off the car. Stefan immediately appeared at the opening and held his arms open for me. I jumped into them as he rushed away from the fire, putting me down then quickly going back to get Gene. She slowly stumbled into his arms, and when he had her he immediately sped over to me, just as the car exploded.<p>

I sat on the couch in the living room and watched the fire dance around the fireplace. We almost did it. We were so close to helping Gene, but of course, something went wrong. As I stared at the flames, I noticed Damon walk in with a tube of cream in his hands for the cut on my cheek. "Give it to me. I can do it," I said holding my hand out to him. He held it away from my reach and kneeled down in front of me with a smirk. "No, let me." "Damon, come on," I said in frustration. I was too tired to deal with this right now. "Elena, you almost got barbecued. The least I can do is apply first aid." I sighed as he squeezed the tube and applied the cream onto my cheek with a cotton swab.  
>"You played your part of the plan really well tonight," I said not looking into his eyes. There was this weird aching feeling in my chest at the thought of him flirting with Rebekah. I knew what it was… but I couldn't let myself admit it. I couldn't admit or even say out loud… that I was jealous. "Oh, yeah?" "You had Rebekah drooling all over you and your marshmallows," I said finally looking into his eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows and let out an airy chuckle. "Yeah, before she skewered me. I thought you were too drunk to notice." He looked at me curiously with something else hidden in his eyes. I couldn't quite place it, but it made my heart ache. I let out a sigh and looked down as he capped the cream. "I was faking most of it." "So was I," he said causing me to look back into his eyes.<br>We stayed like that for a moment. Just looking at each other. That's when I realized what that hidden emotion was. Hope. He was hoping that I was jealous. He was hoping that I was developing something for him. I cringed slightly at the thought of hurting him by getting his hopes up, and leaned back in the couch, away from him. Stefan walked in just as Damon stood up and began to walk to his bourbon. "Ready to get going, Elena?" I nodded my head and walked towards him as Damon turned around with his drink in his hand. "Great work tonight, brother. Bummer the plan didn't work." I looked at Damon one last time, and then walked out of the living room and towards the door with Stefan behind me.


	9. Chapter 8 - Ghosts, Witches & Mates!

Vie's POV  
>I sat on my bed listening to music when I heard a low groan coming from downstairs. At first, I believed it was Stefan and Elena making out, but that didn't sound like Stefan. Curious, I got up and walked down the stairs and into the living room. What I saw made me freeze and start laughing. Damon was tied up to a chair with a fire poker embedded in his chest. "Low blow, Vie. Low blow." I continued to laugh as I stumbled over to Damon and pulled the poker out. "What the hell happened to you?" "Whatever twisted ripper game this is, leave me out of it." I shook my head at him as I stopped laughing and crossed my arms with a smirk. "I didn't do this." "Quit screwing around!" Damon shouted with an accusing glare. I put my hands up in surrender and said, "I didn't." I ripped off part of the chains and let out another slight giggle. "It's pretty messed up though, isn't it?" "Yep," Damon said just as Stefan came in with a confused face.<br>"What…" "Don't ask," Damon said dismissively. Just then, a man appeared next to the curtains and pulled them open, causing Damon to burn. Guess he wasn't wearing his ring. Stefan immediately rushed to the curtains and closed them as I eyed the mysterious man carefully. "Yeah, not to worry, I'll finish this up," Damon said sarcastically since neither Stefan nor I was helping him. The mysterious man seemed to notice that I could see him and gave me a questioning and shocked look. "Can you see me?" he asked stepping towards me with wide eyes. I nodded my head as Stefan moved me aside to release Damon. "Cool," the man said, just as he vanished before my eyes.

Elena's POV  
>I walked through Mystic Falls and smiled in awe at the festivities going on around me. Everything was beautiful and almost seemed… normal. I let out a sigh as I caught sight of Jeremy and Alaric and walked over to them. "Hey, sorry I'm late. What did I miss?" "You didn't miss anything," Jeremy said smiling at me. I returned the smile and then turned to somewhat listen to the speech Tobias Fell was giving. "The first illumination was held in celebration with the new found prosperity that Mystic Falls enjoyed after the war." At that, Jeremy laughed, which was weird seeing as there was nothing funny happening. "What's so funny?" I asked him with furrowed eyebrows. Jeremy gave me a dismissive look then returned his sight to the stage. That's weird.<p>

Damon's POV  
>After Stefan released me from the chair, I got a huge flash of déjà vu. There is no such thing as coincidence in this town, so I had to investigate things with witchy. I sped up to my room and changed my clothes, grabbed my jacket and my keys, then walked outside to my car to go into town. "Wait, I'm coming!" I heard Vie shout from the door way, causing me to roll my eyes. Yay. Once she got into the car, we made our way to the town square, silently, and I drove around looking for Bonnie.<br>"Greetings, blondie. Witchy. I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan." Bonnie and Caroline both looked at me with confused faces as Vie seemed slightly intrigued. "What do you mean, why?" I let out a sigh and leaned my upper torso slightly out of the window so they could hear me better. "Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost." "What?" I heard Vie ask from behind me as Bonnie asked the same thing. "What did he look like?" "And why would you think that?" Vie and Caroline both asked at the same time. I sighed and sat normally in my seat then turned to Vie to answer her question first. "Tall, dark hair, dark eyes, bit of fuzz, surfer type." Then, I turned to Caroline and said, "Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu.  
>"I saw him," I heard Vie say from beside me. Caroline, Bonnie and I all looked shocked then stared at Vie with wide eyes. "What do you mean you <em>saw <em>him?" I asked incredulously. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms then said, "He was at the Boarding House. His ghost, our at least I think he's a ghost, for now, at least." "Wait, what do you mean for now?" Bonnie asked with worried eyes. Caroline and I, not being the witchy type, both just watched the conversation. "When you sent that Donovan girl back you opened the door to the other side. Now, ghosts can go back-and-forth freely. Soon, they'll even have a corporal form," she said like it was the most obvious thing. Mine and Caroline's mouths both dropped in shock as Bonnie thought it over in her mind. After a moment of silence, Bonnie mumbled out an agitated, "She's right."

Elena's POV  
>"Hey, Jer, I need you to help me with something," I said as I skimmed through one of Stefan's old journals. Ric, Jeremy and I were sitting outside the Grill at a small patio table talking. "What's up?" he asked leaning forward and placing his arms on the table. "I've been going through Stefan's and Gene's old journals. Almost every single time that either of them go off the rails, their friend Lexi is the one to bring them back," I said putting it down and looking at him. "So where is she now that we need her?" Ric asked with a curious face. "She's dead," Jeremy said to him, and then turned to me with pursed lips. "And you want me to try to reach her, don't you?"<br>I let out a sigh then slightly nodded my head. What other option did we have? "I thought if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help Vie." Jeremy looked down and shook his head then looked back up at me. "I don't even know if she's on the other side." "Is that what it's called?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. Jeremy shrugged his shoulders then looked around for a moment before answering, "That's what Anna calls it. There's not an official brochure or anything." Ric let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes for a moment. He was tired. Not just physically, but mentally. This lifestyle… it's hard. "So what is it, like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" "Well, Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see her or hear her. And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone." "Vicki could interact. She blew up my car." At the mention of Vicki, Jeremy's eyes flashed with a small tinge of sadness, and then returned to normal. "Vicki had help from a witch on the other side. Anna… She's doing this all by herself." Ric raised his hands in a surrendering position then shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people."  
>I let out a sigh and nodded my head slightly at Ric's statement. He was right, of course, but we had to help Vie. "Do you think it's even possible to contact Lexi?" I asked pleadingly. I was desperate here. "I don't know. I didn't have an emotional connection with her. I never even met her." "Can we just drop it, please?" Ric asked in an agitated tone. I gave him a pleading and sad look and shook my head at him. "No, I can't drop it, Ric. I don't know what else to do." "Don't you think we have a few too many dead vampires in our past to be sitting here thinking of them watching us?" Ric somewhat had a point, I thought to myself as I saw Jeremy looking intently at the empty seat next to me.<br>"Is Anna here right now?" I asked in a confused and almost angry way. "No, no. I'm going to go, uh, check my work schedule," Jeremy said then got up and walked inside the Grill. As he left, Vie showed up and sat in the seat he was just sitting in. "Hey, guys. Who forgot to invite me to the family summit?" she asked jokingly with a smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes as I saw Ric's eyes narrow. We watched her silently when she looked down and saw one of her old journals and one of Stefan's. "Hmm? Wow. All these words. I forgot how much I used to care," she said in slight disgust as she flipped through her old journal.  
>"I didn't." "You know, Elena, it's probably best you not torture yourself with memories from the past. It's best we both just move on and accept things as they are. I mean, do you really care about me? Or are you playing saint for your two favorite pets?" "You don't have to be here, Vie," Ric said with a clenched jaw as hurt flashed through me. She thinks I don't care. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bar. And you know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't. But Elena's here and I look out for Elena. That's one thing that hasn't changed." At that, I looked at her in slight shock. She was right. I mean, really, this is basically the same. She's just blunter than she used to be. "Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight, so there's going to be lots to eat," she said with a smirk.<br>Ric and I look at Vie in shock at her words as she began to laugh. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she said waving a dismissive hand to us. "Loosen up," she said as she smirked at us then got up to leave. I stared at the seat that she was in for a moment then turned to Ric, who was getting up to go inside the Grill, and said, "I can't drop it, Ric."

Vie's POV  
>I walked into the Grill after Damon, who followed Alaric, and smirked when all eyes landed on me. When Ric saw us tailing him, he let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "You know I've had enough vampires today, thanks." "Oh, come on," Damon said innocently, then said, "Have a drink with me. We've got trouble." I sat at the bar with a smirk and waved to Matt, who nodded his head and immediately turned and got three bourbons. "No, you've got trouble. See, we're," he said gesturing between the three of us, "not a team. You tried to kill me. All right? We're not friends. I don't like you anymore."<br>I rolled my eyes at their childishness as I cleared my throat and gave Damon a look that said 'Back to the point.' Damon nodded his head then turned to Ric again with a serious face. "But remember back when you liked me and we conspired to kill Uncle Werewolf Mason Lockwood?" "Yeah, and?" Ric asked not seeing the point. "I think he's still a little pissed," he said causing me to laugh to myself and mumble, "More than a little."  
>As I said that, I saw Mason appear on the other side of Damon. "Mason," Ric said in awe as Damon just stared at him in shock. "God, I miss whisky," Mason said as he grabbed Damon's glass and took a long drink, then smashed the glass on Damon's head. "Hey, Vie." He said smirking over at me flirtatiously as I raised an eyebrow at him. "Hi?" Seeing the look Mason was giving me, Damon and Ric both glared at him then looked at me, waiting for an explanation, causing me to roll my eyes.<p>

Stefan's POV  
>I was walking down the street, going to meet Elena when I saw a head of blonde hair I knew far too well. "Lexi," I said stopping in front of her. She turned to me with that smirk she always wore and I immediately pulled her in for a hug. "Hi," she said laughing and hugging me back. "What's going on? I thought you're dead," I said holding her at my arm's length and smiling at her. "Well, technically, so are you…" she said joking and laughing, as usual. I laughed and hugged her one more time and shook my head at her with a smile. "How can I see you?" "Yeah, I have no idea. And I have no idea how long it's going to last, so let's get right to the point. Gene's off the rails. Big time." At that, I looked down as the happiness I had just acquired slowly disappeared.<br>"We're trying. But there's so much going on…" "Now, why else do you think I'm here?" she asked with a sad smile. I smiled at her and my eyes began to water as I pulled her into another hug. "She's not our Gene anymore." Lexi gave me a reassuring squeeze as she rubbed my back soothingly. "I know, Stefan. I'm going to do all I can. Now call her."

Vie's POV  
>I watched as Damon and Mason talked over an 'apology' and Mason continued to send me flirty glances. Annoying much? I rolled my eyes and took another drink of my bourbon when I got a call from Steffie. "Veggie Vamp Industries, how may I help you?" I asked with a smirk on my face. Hearing me, Damon and Alaric both spit out their bourbons and began choking. Although they were mad at me, Damon and Alaric both nodded their heads and laughed at my joke. "Very funny. I need you to come meet me at the center." I let out a sigh and mumbled out a small "Fine," and slumped my way off my stool. "See ya later," I mumbled to the guys who laughed at my disheartened mood.<br>When I walked out of the Grill and down the street, I saw a familiar head of blonde hair from the corner of my eyes and immediately smirked. Nice one Steffie. I stopped walking and turned around with crossed arms and glared at Lexi. "Well look what the veil unleashed," I said with a smirk. "Don't. What happened to you? Sweet, compassionate Genevieve Salvatore. Falling in love with the enemy. Flipping the switch. That's not you." I let out an airy, forced laugh and shook my head at her. "You know _nothing _about me. Don't pretend, for one second, that you do," I said getting in her face and snapping her neck.  
>Well I have about 2 minutes before she comes back, so why wait around? I vamped towards the forest, and kept going until I got to the falls. I collapsed by the shore of the river and looked up at the sky. This felt nice, I thought to myself. Just relaxing, getting away from all the drama. That's when my phone went off. Spoke too soon, I thought. I groaned as I heard the ringtone I set whenever Klaus called or texted me. Sigh. I pulled my phone from my pocket and went to check the message and it said: "Meet me in Philadelphia." I sighed again, then slowly sat up and ran my hands through my hair.<p>

I vamped to the Boarding House and walked in to see Mason waiting for me. "Well, hello there," he said smirking over at me flirtatiously. I sighed and walked up to my room to grab my keys, ignoring his presence. As I turned to walk out of my room, Mason was standing there blocking my path. "Not so fast. Where you going?" "Meeting with an original hybrid. Do you mind?" I went to push past him, but he grabbed my arms and pulled me into his chest. I looked up at his eyes and smirked. Two could play at this game. I bit my lip and looked between his eyes and lips suggestively as I saw his smirk slowly fall to a pleased smile. Slowly, he leaned in to kiss me, and I did the same. Just as his lips were about to meet mine, I kneed him in the stomach and smirked as he fell to the ground in pain. "Nice meeting you Mason," I said before I walked around him, down the stairs, out the door, and to my car.  
>Piece of cake.<p>

I drove down to Philadelphia and arrived at the outskirts around five hours later. As I drove into town I got another text message that said: "Independence Hall." I parked my car and let out a sigh as I looked around me at the bustling city. As I walked into the hall, I saw him leaning against a table and smiling over at me. The sun was shining in the room, casting an angelic light onto his curls, and making his eyes appear a light blue. I almost smiled at the sight of him, and that made me frown. My chest was aching again, and no matter how much I fought, my humanity was slowly scraping away at my emotionless shell.  
>"Genevieve," he said with a bigger smile, showing his adorable dimples and holding his arms open to me. I gave him a small half-smile, and walked forward and into his arms. "Klaus," I said letting myself enjoy the hug for a moment then pulling away. "What's up? I assume there is a reason I was called away from guard duty." He laughed at my comment and grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers, and led me out of the hall. "We have a meeting with a witch," he said with a smirk then continued to lead me out of the building.<p>

We had walked about five blocks and were now faced with a small psychic's shop. I looked at it apprehensively as Klaus led me inside and straight past the counter. "Don't worry. She's an old acquaintance." I nodded my head as we walked into a room with a round table in the center and an old woman sitting with a smile. "Hello. You must be Genevieve. Klaus has told me so much about you." I looked at him questioningly and he gave me a sheepish smile. "This is Adele. She is going to enlighten us on our special... predicament." I nodded my head with narrowed eyes, not completely sure if I felt comfortable with the situation, then looked at the witch. "Don't worry, sugar. I'm just going to perform an identification spell to figure out what's going on between you two." "That's not going to work. Magic doesn't affect me," I said with a nonchalant face.  
>The old witch nodded her head and thought for a moment, then opened her hand for me to place mine in. I took a seat in front of her, Klaus following my motion, then placed my hand in hers and waited silently as she read my hand. "Ah, you are quite powerful. And unique. And it seems you have friends in powerful places," she said causing fear to flash through my eyes for a moment. "Klaus didn't mention you were a hybrid as well," she said slightly glaring at Klaus. I giggled for a moment as Klaus put his hands up in surrender. "That's my doing. I don't like people talking about me," I said sweetly to her and she nodded her head. "I understand. But, if you don't mind, would you just allow this one spell to take affect? I know you'd be able to sense if I was casting any spells that weren't for identification purposes. And if you did, you could stop them right away." I thought for a moment as Klaus watched me with an impatient face. "Okay."<br>The witch smiled at me and began her spell as Klaus and I sat in silence and watched her. After about five minutes she finished and her eyes opened in awe and shock. "What?" Klaus and I said at the same time. We were anxious to learn what this was, to say the least. The witch looked between us for a moment then shook her head at a loss of words. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this." She got up to pace as Klaus and I gave each other a questioning look. What the hell is going on? "You two are special. Never has there been a hybrid before. Yet, here you both are. The chances of a werewolf-vampire hybrid are one in a million. But you, Genevieve, the chances of a vampire-witch hybrid are one in a billion. You were both created against nature's plans. These things just aren't supposed to happen." She still seemed a bit at a loss of words and began to mumble to herself. "Okay, keep in mind, there is no precedence to either of your cases. So, this might seem a bit crazy." Klaus and I looked at her, waiting for the explanation, and nodded our heads. Adele took in a deep breath then looked at us with apprehension. "You two are mates."  
>Klaus and I froze as we processed what she had said. She was right. It was crazy. I mean, mates? Really? "What are mates?" Klaus asked her with a slightly shaky voice as my thoughts scrambled around in my head. This couldn't happen. I am supposed to kill this man. "Mates are two souls made to be together. It hasn't happened before, but it makes sense. You two are anomalies in the world, so it makes sense that you two would be destined for each other." She seemed a bit excited on this new discovery, but why would she be? "What else do you know?" Klaus asked. Turning to him, I saw that his eyes were angry and afraid. He was angry because now he couldn't deny that he had a weakness, and scared because he might have forever lost me already. Adele looked at him and her smile fell significantly. "That's all I know. Mates were just stories passed down through the generations. They've never actually happened before, but I could look into it." Klaus nodded his head then got up from his seat, grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the shop.<br>He continued to drag me for a few blocks until we arrived at a small family diner. He pulled me to a booth where we sat across from each other. A young waitress immediately came over to our table and batted her eyelashes at Klaus. I rolled my eyes as she sent me a glare and continued to send him a flirty smile. "Hey there handsome. What can I get you?" she asked leaning forward so that she could show more of her cleavage. I let out a fake vomiting sound as I looked through the menu. Klaus, who still hadn't said much, didn't pay any attention to the waitress. He stared down at the table blankly. I let out a sigh and ordered two burgers, two fries, a Dr. Pepper for me, and a Coke for Klaus, and when the waitress saw that she wasn't going to get a response from Klaus, she let out an annoyed "Humph" and left.  
>When she left I let out a small giggle, then directed my attention to the silent man in front of me. He seemed conflicted with the situation, whereas I was silently panicking. I have to kill the man I love, even if we were mates. Whatever that means. "Klaus, it'll be fine. We'll find out what this 'mates' thing is, then I'll cast a spell so she can't tell anyone about it. It'll be like it never happened." He continued to look down at the table for a moment then nodded his head. "Alright," he said then let out a huge sigh.<p>

An hour later, we walked back to Adele's shop, hoping that this wasn't a serious thing. "You're just in time! I've been going through various grimoires, contacting all of my closest friends for what they had been told, and I finally figured this out." Klaus and I both sat in the chairs in front of her again as she watched us with a huge grin. "Genevieve, what can kill you?" she asked. I froze as I looked down at the ground (THAT RHYMED) and Klaus watched me carefully. "Nothing," I said quietly. Klaus' eyes widened in shock at my words and he looked between Adele and I. "That is where you are wrong, my dear," she said with a knowing smile on her face. I looked up at her with a confused face and waited for the 'correct answer'. "Before, there truly was nothing that could kill you. Stab your heart, rip out your heart, stand in the sun, nothing. But now, the only way to kill you, is to kill him," she said pointing at Klaus. My eyes widened as I looked at Klaus. How?  
>Then, a thought came to mind as my eyes began to water. "Did… did she know?" I asked Adele not able to meet her eyes. "Yes," she mumbled out causing a single tear to fall from my eyes. I quickly wiped it away and nodded my head. "Did who know?" Klaus asked confusedly looking between us again. I dismissed his question with a wave of my hand, and then gestured for Adele to continue. "Okay. Mates generally mean you were made for each other. You two also won't be able to help but fall in love. You might feel connected in a strange way, like they are an extension of your soul. That is because mates are also considered one soul broken into two bodies." I nodded my head as I remembered the feeling I got after drinking Klaus' blood. I sneaked a peek at him and saw that he was already looking at me. I quickly looked away and waited for Adele to continue.<br>"Basically, you two are made to be lovers. There is, however, one thing significantly different for mates," she said with an unsure face. It seemed she wasn't certain if she should tell us the last part or not, but she nodded her head and did anyways. "You two, being mates, can procreate." At those words, I froze as my eyes widened and my mind repeated the word over and over again. Procreate. "We can have children?!" Klaus yelled in shock as he stood from his seat. Adele hesitantly nodded her head as I remained frozen. Everything I ever wanted as a human, everything I had dreamed of as a human, was possible. I could have a family. But then I remembered it was Klaus, and the thought immediately withered. It may be possible, but it wouldn't happen. **_Snap_**.  
>I rose from my seat as my eyes filled with tears and ran out of the shop. I vamped straight to my car, got in, started the car, and drove back to Mystic Falls. During the drive there was only one thing I could think of. I need my brothers.<p>

I arrived at the Boarding house around one in the morning and vamped straight up to Damon's room. I rushed in, scaring him awake. He seemed surprised and confused, but immediately pulled back the blanket so I could lay in bed with him. I jumped into the bed and flung my arms across his chest, crying my heart out. "Gene, what happened?" he asked sadly while rubbing my back. I shook my head as I cried for everything that has happened. "Shh, Gene it's okay. No one blames you," he said already knowing that that would be one of the things causing me to cry. I nodded my head as I whimpered out, "I'm sorry," repeatedly.  
>After about ten minutes of crying, I laid in Damon's arms as tears silently fell down my face. I had my head rested on his chest and was hugging him for dear life. "I'm sorry," I said one last time as he placed a gentle kiss on my head. "Gene, talk to me." I stayed silent for a moment, and then decided against it. I shook my head, causing Damon to let out a sigh. "I'm not ready to talk about it, Day," I said quietly. "Alright," he said sadly then pulled the blanket over us. "Goodnight my little love," he said then kissed my forehead. I let a few more tears fall from my eyes. I missed hearing that. "Goodnight Day," I said, and then fell into a deep sleep.<p>

I stomped through the familiar forest and straight towards the clearing she usually appears in. When I saw her I didn't feel the usual fear. At this moment, rage was coursing through my body and filling every cell in it. Seeing my face, she stepped back a bit in shock. But for a moment, I could have sworn I saw fear in her eyes. I continued over to her and pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You lied to me!" I yelled at her. Her face was fixed into a glare and she watched me with hate. "I did no such thing." I let out a frustrated groan and pulled at my hair, turning away from her for a moment. "You knew," I said as I turned back to her. "You knew we were mates. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her with a pleading face.  
>Her glare softened a bit as she let out a sigh. "I knew it would only cause you turmoil. Genevieve, this still does not change anything. You <em>must<em> kill him." I looked at her with disbelieving eyes and shook my head. "But I'll die." She watched me carefully for a moment then took a step forward and petted my head, feigning motherly love. "I am sorry, my dear. I am trying my best to find a way to spare your life." At her words I stepped away and glared at her. "Well, I'm sorry, Esther. I will not kill him," I said then ran out of the clearing.


	10. Chapter 9 - The Mikaelson Story

Okay so I have completely finished with this story, so I decided I'd update a little more often :)

Hope you like it lovelies x

I woke up and let out a content sigh. I finally felt at peace and slept soundly. I rolled over onto Damon's chest and couldn't help but smile. Opening my eyes, I saw that he too was smiling down at me. "Good morning my little love," he said then kissed my forehead and hugged me tight. "Good morning Day." We remained in bed for a few minutes, enjoying the relaxation, and then got up from the bed. "I'm going to go change," I said as I walked out of his room. As I stepped out of his door, I crashed into a hard chest and almost fell backwards. Before I could fall, Stefan grabbed onto my waist and pulled me upright. Seeing him, I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly to my body. "What the hell?" He asked in confusion. Although I didn't say anything, he hugged me back then threw me over his shoulder and carried me to my room, like he did when I was little and had nightmares. When we stepped into my room, he walked over to my bed and kissed my head (THAT RHYMED), then placed me down. "It's nice to have you back baby girl." I kissed his cheek lightly then smiled at him and said, "It's nice to be back Steffie." He smiled down at me then walked out of my room so I could change.

Damon and I hid in the shadows of the tunnels that were under the Lockwood Cellar and waited patiently for Stefan to come down with Alaric and Elena. Since I just flipped the switch back on, he is basically doing anything for me. He always spoils me when I get back on track. (RHYMED AGAIN) As the announcement of my return, Damon and Stefan are helping me scare the crap out of Elena and Ric. Woo! After five minutes of waiting, I heard them coming in and Elena asking, "So, the Lockwoods really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" She was shining the flashlight everywhere, and I was beginning to think we would get caught, but unknowingly, Ric helped us. "Careful where you shine that thing. Bats hate the light." "Wait, what?" At that point, Damon snuck up behind her and whispered her name causing her to gasp, as I jumped out and yelled "Hoopla!" What can I say, I'm original ;)  
>Caught off guard, Alaric and Elena both screamed, but with the acoustics from the tunnels, I had to cover my ears to muffle the noise somewhat. "God, Damon! Vie!" Stefan came into the cave with a slight smirk as I busted out laughing and held onto my brothers to keep from rolling around on the floor. "Scaredy-cat," Damon said with a smirk as I wiped away a small tear. "God, that was perfect," I said smiling at Alaric and Elena. "Just ignore them. That's what I do," Ric said glaring at us. I pouted and put a hand over my heart, pretending to be heart. "Awe, Ric that hurts. And here I thought you missed me." Stefan and Damon both put their arms around my shoulders as I put mine around their waists, signaling that it really was me. Seeing this, Elena's face filled with shock and happiness as she tackled me into a tight hug. "Gene, oh my god, you're back!" I laughed as I hugged her and saw Ric smiling at me. "Yeah, I'm back," I said as I walked over to Ric's open arms and gave him a hug as well. "Now about this cave," I said pulling away and getting to business.<br>Elena nodded her head and grabbed my hand as Ric led the way into the cave. "So, you really can't get in?" Elena asked looking over at Damon and Stefan while still holding onto my hand. I didn't mind, really. Damon shook his head as he and Stefan smiled at our intertwined hands. "No. Seems even the 'ancient' Lockwoods were anti-vampire." I looked at him questioningly, along with Elena, then she asked, "What do you mean, ancient?" Stefan gestured forward, into the cave, then said, "See for yourself."  
>Elena walked into the cave, still holding my hand then seemed to remember it was anti-vampire. "Oh wait, you can't come in right?" Just as I was about to answer, Damon said, "I think she can." I looked at him questioningly then saw he was staring at my hand, which was already inside the cave. Slowly, I stuck my foot in and smiled when I didn't feel a barrier. I stepped in next to Elena and smirked over at my brothers in victory. They rolled their eyes, and then Damon said, "Well, this is as far as we get to go." Elena chuckled at my slight show-boating then turned to look at the wall. When she did her face filled with wonder, as did mine, when we saw that it was filled with ancient drawings. "What is all this?" I asked in awe. "Well, as far as I can tell, it's a story. In simple, archaeological terms, it's a really, really old story." I snorted at his words and let out a small giggle, thinking 'No shit.' That's when I noticed the symbols. There was one for every creature. "That right there is the moon cycle," Ric continued pointing at a drawing of the waxing and waning moon. "A man, a wolf." "A werewolf."<br>Oh no. This was what Esther had told me about a long time ago. The story of the Originals. "Yeah, it's the Lockwood Diaries: Pictionary-Style," Damon said earning a giggle from me and an eye roll from everyone else. Elena shook her head with furrowed eyebrows and stared at the various drawings in confusion. "I don't understand. I thought the Lockwoods came here with the Original Founders in the 1860s." "I don't know. Maybe the Lockwoods did, but according to this wall, these werewolves have been here a lot longer than that," Ric said gesturing to the drawings. "How long?" "It gets better. Show them, Ric," Stefan said with a sneaky smile. "Names. They're not native. They're written in Runic, a Viking script." "Vikings?" "This name here, I translated it and it reads..." "Niklaus," I said finishing off for Ric. Everyone looked at me questioningly as I shrugged my shoulders sheepishly. Ric nodded his head then gestured to two more names and said, "And Elijah...and Rebekah."  
>"These are the names of the Original Family?" Elena asked in shock as she walked forward and traced her fingers over the drawings. "Carved into a cave that's been here since way before the founding of Mystic Falls. Or even the entire New World, for that matter." "Okay, this has got to be one of Klaus' fakes," Elena said disbelievingly. "That's what we said," Damon and Stefan said at the same time. "It's not," I said sitting on one of the rocks on the floor boredly. I already knew all of this. "I agree with Gene. The last name up here made me think so." "What's the name?" "Mikael," Ric said looking at us seriously. "Mikael... Mikael, as in, the vampire hunter who knows how to kill Klaus?" Elena asked skeptically. I nodded my head as I said, (AGAIN! WHAT?!) "Their father." "Yep," Damon said pointing over to me then smirking at Elena. I now like to call him, 'Papa Original'." Ric began to take pictures of the various drawings, and then we all left the tunnel.<p>

We all sat around Alaric's apartment, or in Damon and Elena's case, fought around it. Alaric was sat in front of the coffee table, pictures of the runic symbols scattered across it. I had offered to translate it for him, but he said that he went to college to study this, and it was time to put that to the test. Stefan and I were sprawled out on the second couch playing the Play Station I had installed here for times Jeremy or I came over. I was whipping Stefan's butt, mainly because he was too distracted from listening in on Damon and Elena's combat training.  
>"These images tell a story... to learn the story; you have to decipher these images," Ric said to himself with pursed lips. I giggled at him then punched Stefan's arm because he was openly staring at the combat training. "Ouch," he said rubbing his arm as I glared at him. "It's not nice to ignore someone," I said pouting. He laughed at my childishness then gave me an apologetic smile. I let out a sigh and waved my hand, gesturing for him to join the training. He hugged me in thanks then walked over to Damon and Elena as he disarmed her and yelled, "Sloppy!" "Shut up! I'm new at this," she said as she got back into the proper stance. I sighed and stood up heading towards the door. "Where are you going?" Damon yelled to me, causing everyone to look over at me questioningly. I raised an eyebrow at the sudden curiosity and put a hand on my right hip. "I'm bored, so I'm going to go hang out with Rebekah." Everyone's faces fell at the mention of her, causing me to roll my eyes. "Don't even go there, alright? See ya later," I said walking out the door and closing it behind me.<p>

I vamped to the high school and walked straight to the football field where I knew the cheerleaders would be practicing, and smiled when I saw Rebekah's familiar figure in line with the other cheerleaders doing their routine. Walking over to them, I noticed the football team was practicing as well. And to my dismay, two football players blocked my path and stared at me with disgusting looks of lust. "Hey beautiful." "What's a pretty little thing like you doing here alone?" they asked me. I scoffed and tried to push past them, but one of the guys grabbed my arm, stopping me from going any farther. "I love a chase," he smirked leaning his face dangerously close to mine. As I narrowed my eyes at him, about to punch him in the face, Tyler and Matt walked up behind them and put a hand on their shoulders, squeezing them warningly. "There a problem here?" Matt asked as he and Tyler glared at the guys. Seeing that they were my friends, the two guys shook their heads and walked off in fear.  
>I let out a sigh and chuckled lightly, smiling at them in thanks. "Thanks. I thought I was going to have to kick their asses," I said with a huge smile. "Yeah, we had to come to their rescue," Tyler said with a smirk. I let out a laugh as Matt smiled at me. "You're back to normal, aren't you?" He asked. I nodded my head as he pulled me into a hug. I giggled as Tyler then pulled me into a hug as well and ruffled my hair. "Good to have you back," they said walking off to practice as I pouted at my messed up hair.<br>I walked over to the cheerleaders who were taking a small break and pounced onto Rebekah's back when she wasn't looking. "What the bloody hell?" she shouted, then let out a sigh when she realized it was me. "Vie, was that necessary," she asked in a slightly irritated tone. I laughed and nodded my head, getting off her back and smiling at her. "Wait a minute… you turned it back on? What happened? Less than 24 hours ago you were my non-caring, badass best friend." I rolled my eyes at her then crossed my arms and shook my head. "Hey, I'm still you're badass best friend. I just have emotions now." Hearing that, the tension faded from her shoulders and she smiled at me. "Good. I wouldn't want it any other way," she said laughing and pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back as she pointed to someone behind me and shouted, "You! Goody."  
>I turned around to see Elena walking up to us with a hesitant, and slightly frightened, yet slightly comfortable face. "I was hoping we could talk," she said looking between the two of us. I tilted my head in curiosity as Rebekah went into defense mode. "About what?" "This," she said holding up some pictures with the runic symbols from the cave. "I'm curious why you and Klaus have spent a thousand years running from your father." "Elena," I said sternly and shaking my head. Rebekah looked taken aback and shook her head at Elena. "I should get back to the girls. Homecoming's right around the corner," she said giving me a small smile, before turning and walking towards the cheerleaders.<br>"Well then, maybe I'll ask Mikael when we wake him," Elena shouted causing my blood to run cold. What were they thinking? Rebekah stopped in her tracks and turned to Elena with eyes full of fear, and only I knew exactly why. "You're bluffing! You don't know where he is. No one does." "So, then who's rotting in that old cemetery in Charlotte?" "If you wake Mikael, we are _all_ doomed!" "So then, tell me," Elena asked pleadingly as I could only watch my best friend's conflicted face. After a moment of thinking, she let out a sigh and nodded her head. "Why do you want to know?" "Why don't you want me to wake him?" Elena asked with narrowed and curious eyes. Because he's a crazy asshole with family issues, I thought to myself. "I need to get back to the girls," Rebekah said shaking her head (WHAAAAT?! AGAIN!) then walking away. I sighed as I remembered one of the stories Esther had told me about how cruel he was to Nik and shuddered inwardly. I would never let that monster hurt him.

Elena and I were walking up the stairs to Alaric's apartment as she talked on the phone with Damon. "She's going to tell me. She's scared of him, Damon. I saw her face. I just have to engage in a little 'mean girl' power struggle first." When she said that, I snorted and laughed at her choice of words. She sent me a fake glare as Damon said, "Well, make sure she doesn't power struggle you into a wheelchair." I continued to laugh as I opened the door and walked into the apartment to see Ric still hunched over the coffee table like when I last saw him. "I've got this, Damon. If we can figure out a way to kill Klaus…" she left off sending me a sorry glance. I pretended I didn't notice and sat on the couch next to Ric, leaning my head on his shoulder and looking down at what he had figured out so far. "Then maybe Gene can have a normal life," Elena finished as quietly as she could.  
>I let out a sigh as she hung up the phone then turned to us with a small smile. "Rebekah will come around." Ric eyed her carefully with an unsure face then shook his head. "You're sure about that? I mean a thousand year old vampire, I'm sure, has learned the art of patience." I giggled at that, seeing as Rebekah and Nik were both very impatient people. While I was caught up in my thoughts, Elena and I both got a text message at the same time. I grabbed my phone from its place next to me on the couch and unlocked it to see a message from Rebekah saying: "Please come with her. I think I'll strangle her if we're left alone." I laughed at the message as Elena smiled at me and held her arm out in a gentlemanly fashion. I stood up and linked my arm in hers as she said, "She's a thousand year old vampire, who's joined the cheerleader squad... There is a whole different set of rules that play here, Ric. I got this."<p>

Elena and I entered the Boarding House and walked into the living room where we saw Rebekah waiting with champagne glasses. "Hey! What's up?" she asked handing me one then offering one to Elena, who shook her head. "You invited me over? To talk?" Elena asked, almost doubting Rebekah had actually done so. She nodded her head; still keeping up a fake cheerful smile, then grabbed her own champagne glass and took a drink. "All right girls, have at it!" she shouted as a group of six girls came into the room, each wearing a different dress. "Oo! Fashion show!" I squealed in one of my girliest of moments. I couldn't help it. I love formal dresses  
>Rebekah smiled at me and raised a hand, moving it in a circle, then said, "Okay, now twirl please." All the girls twirled slowly, showing their beautiful dresses off as I carefully studied which I liked the best. "You compelled your own private runway show?" Elena asked, not hiding the distaste she felt towards the situation. What a poop. "I need a Homecoming dress. So, what do you think? Pick one." I studied the dresses one more time then pointed over to a girl wearing a beautiful red dress. "The red one," I said with a bright smile. "I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael," Elena said stubbornly, causing me to roll my eyes. Now you've done it.<br>Rebekah rushed at the closest girl and grabbed their neck, tilting it to the side for better access to the veins. Showing her vampire face and fangs, Rebekah looked over at Elena, "I said pick one, Elena." Elena seemed shocked and frantically looked at all the dresses and pointed to the one I had liked. "The... red one."  
>Rebekah released the girl and returned her face to normal as she walked towards me, because I was holding her champagne glass. "There. It wasn't so hard, was it?" She smiled at me in thanks, grabbed her glass and took a sip, then turned to the girls and said, "Go away. Remember nothing." They all left as I watched the various beautiful dresses disappear. She then turned to Elena with a glare and stepped towards her threateningly. "You do not threaten me. You'll learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?" Elena nodded her head as Rebekah walked out of the room. Elena turned to me with a questioning face as I shrugged my shoulders and followed after Rebekah.<br>We walked up the stairs and continued into Stefan's room. "How fun is this...?" Rebekah asked as she started snooping through his drawers. I giggled and plopped myself onto his bed. "We shouldn't be here," Elena said shifting her feet uncomfortably. I rolled my eyes at her and watched as Bekah continued to snoop. "'Course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop," she said pulling out a pair of Stefan's underwear. I groaned and covered my eyes as she said, "Boxer briefs. A lot has changed since the twenties."  
>"Are you gunna root through his stuff all night or are you gunna start to tell me your story?" Elena asked in frustration. "Ah... you really are no fun. What do you want to know?" "Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?" I sat up on the bed and crossed my legs as Bekah laid on the bed with her head in my lap. "My parents had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate." I looked down at her with a sad smile as I saw the pain in her eyes that talking about her past brought on. "So, how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet," Elena said as she continued to stand with crossed arms. Rebekah and I laughed slightly as she said, "Not by anyone in your history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy... blessed by the gifts of speed and strength; that lead my family here, where we lived amongst those people." "The werewolves?" "To us, they were just our neighbors. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me." "You make it sound so normal," Elena said with a confused face. "It was."<br>Rebekah continued to tell the story of how once a month their family retreated into the caves beneath their village. "Every full moon the wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home..." she said lost in thought. For a moment I saw all the pain in Rebekah's eyes. Unfortunately, the three of us knew the pain of losing family at a young age. Rebekah continued her story, telling us about the night that changed her life forever. All the villagers had retreated to the tunnels beneath the village, but Klaus and her youngest brother Henrik went to watch the men change. "That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price... with his life," Rebekah said sadly as Elena's face fell and she seemed to sympathize with Rebekah. "And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors, and one of the last moments my family had together as humans," she said as Elena's phone went off.  
>I looked at Elena and nodded my head, signaling for her to answer it. "You better get that. That'll be Damon checking up on you," I said to her. "Hello?" "Hey!" "Damon, where are you?" she asked as loud music and noise was heard through the phone. I rolled my eyes. Back at a bar, I see. "No idea, but I'm pretty sure, I'm overdressed...Still standing?" "Yes, I'm fine, but I can't talk right now," she said in a slightly annoyed tone. I laughed just as I heard Stefan say, "I'll be at the bar." "Is that Stefan?" Elena asked disbelievingly. "Yeah, it's brotherly bonding time," he said causing me to pout. Well thanks a lot, Damon. "Okay bye," Elena said rolling her eyes.<br>Rebekah got up and grabbed one of Stefan's old journals, then returned to the bed and laid her head (RHYYYYMES) in my lap again. Elena watched for a few minutes while I just played with Rebekah's hair as she read. "Did you get your fill of snooping yet? Can we get on with the story?" Elena asked in an irritated tone. Rebekah got up and put the diary back on the shelf then saw a picture of Elena and Stefan and picked it up. "Honestly, I don't get you two as a couple," she said studying the photo and looking at me with a face that asked: 'Do you?' I shrugged my shoulders, not willing to get into that argument. "Why would you? You don't know anything about who he really is," Elena said glaring at Rebekah, causing me to roll my eyes. Oh geez. "I know exactly who he is. He's a vampire. Just like Gene is. We're a predatory species," she said getting into Elena's face. I watched carefully, ready to jump in between them if anything were to happen. "We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."  
>At that I saw a small flash of hurt go through Elena's eyes, and she turned to me almost asking if it was true. I gave her an emotionless look, not willing to say anything. It was mainly true. It was useless to care for them. They wouldn't even live a century. Yet, here I was, immortal.<br>"Is that why you did that runway show earlier? 'Cause you don't care about the Homecoming Dance...? You know what, I'm just gunna go," Elena said turning to walk out of the room. "You haven't even heard half the story," I said to Elena who turned to us with a frustrated face. "And she isn't going to tell it. She's just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with...maybe you can compel yourself a friend," she said, causing me to glare at her. That crossed the line. She gave me a sorry look, knowing she shouldn't have said it, and then began to walk out the door. "The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give. It belonged to the Original Witch," Rebekah said, stopping Elena in her tracks and causing me to stiffen slightly. I may have gone against her wishes, but the mention of her still frightened me. "The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?" Elena asked walking back into the room. "Not just the hybrid curse," I mumbled quietly. Rebekah glanced at me for a moment then added, "She's the one who turned us into vampires."  
>Rebekah continued to tell the story of how she overheard her parents talking to Ayana, asking for help to protect their family. Her family was desperate. And desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose. Although they pleaded with Ayana, she wouldn't help them. "I'm thirsty. Do you want a drink?" Rebekah asked me with a curious face. I nodded my head as we walked out of Stefan's room and towards the library, Elena following behind. "So, vampirism was a form of protection?" she asked with a completely puzzled face. I laughed at her reaction as Rebekah shrugged. "What else would it be?" "A curse?" "My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive," she said as she poured two glasses of bourbon. "Yeah, but why stay, if they were so afraid of the werewolves? Why not... leave?" Rebekah sighed then handed me the glass. "Pride. My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses."<br>Rebekah told us about how her parents wanted their children to become invincible, but Ayana warned them of the consequences. The nature that they loved and seeked help from would turn against them. Ayana had wanted no part in it, so it was left in the hands of Esther. "She was left with the duty to protect your family. In her hands? How could she do anything?" Elena asked cluelessly. "Because my mother was also a witch." "What?" "The witch of the Original Family. The Original Witch?" I said in a duh tone. Rebekah then began searching through the library, probably for something interesting. "But if your mother was a witch, then..." "Am I?" Rebekah said finishing for her, then shaking her head, "No, a witch is nature's servant; a vampire is an abomination of nature. Usually you can either be one or the other, not both," she said looking at me enviously for a moment. I looked away from her, not being able to meet her eyes. Her mother was the person that created me. Rebekah could have easily become a hybrid as well. "My mother did this for us. She did not turn."  
>"How did you turn?" Elena asked curiously. "She called upon the sun for life, and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts," Rebekah said dazing off into her memories. I grabbed her hand and gave a gentle squeeze as Elena's face filled with horror. "He killed you?" she asked in a whisper, afraid that if she spoke any louder, Rebekah might break. Rebekah nodded her head as her serious façade returned. "And he wasn't delicate about it either."<p>

She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair as she continued with the story. "We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual." Rebekah stopped for a moment and let out an airy chuckle as she thought back on that night. "It was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable... but the witch Ayana was right about the consequences," she said looking at Elena grimly. "The spirits turned on us, and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness..." she said as she told us about when she was newly turned and she could not go outside for weeks, until Esther found them a solution. "The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks... And though my mother found a solution, there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned, and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away... so we burned it to the ground." She stilled for a moment, remembering something that seemed to sadden her, and then continued. "But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated. The hunger. Blood had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that, the predatory species was born."  
>Elena gave Rebekah a few moments to collect her thoughts. A few minutes later, Elena cleared her throat and asked, "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Rebekah let out a sigh then answered, "When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame." "Yeah... Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son." "She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her," Rebekah said sadly as I stiffened. She looked at me questioningly but I shook my head at her. "Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked sadly as Rebekah nodded her head emotionlessly. "He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched."<br>Rebekah sat down on a sofa and watched the fire dance for a moment, as Elena and I watched her in pity. "Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed, so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother," she continued as I fidgeted slightly. She told us how Nik had buried her as she stood in shock. She was grateful to him, and she had promised to never turn her back on him. That's when Elijah had joined them and promised the same. The three of them had promised to stick together as one. "Always and forever... even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?" Elena asked with a confused face. She wouldn't understand. No matter what happens, family is family. For a vampire, that's really all we can hold onto. "We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik... Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."  
>"But you still love him?" Elena asked, still confused. "He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead? You've heard the story, it's time to go," Rebekah said shooing Elena off, but she hadn't budged. "I said leave, Elena! I don't know what you're up to, but I'm no longer playing along." "I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael," she said stupidly, causing me to roll my eyes. I mean, really? "And I've given you a thousand! But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid." "It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over our lives," Elena said sadly looking over at me, but I didn't meet her eyes. "Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother, I will rip you apart," Rebekah said through gritted teeth as I nodded my head. "And I'll help," I said shocking both of them.<br>"What?" Elena asked with hurt and betrayal in her eyes. "I won't let you kill him Elena."

Elena's POV (FIIIINALLY! RIGHT? LOL)  
>I walked back to the old Lockwood cellar in a daze as Gene's last words echoed in my head. "I won't let you kill him Elena." I mean, what did I expect? Gene <em>is <em>in love with him. But I didn't think she would go against Damon and Stefan over a guy. There must be something else going on. As I walked into the cave Alaric began talking, but stumbled through his words after he noticed my vacant expression. "We, uh, filled in what we could," he said walking up to the wall and placing labels on most drawings. "A Vampire, werewolf, slaughter, mayhem, etc." Snapping out of my daze, I noticed a drawing that looked like a large tree. "That's the white oak tree that was used in the spell to create the vampires... which means that," I said pointing at the following image, "was when they burned down the tree, destroying the only way that they could be killed." "Okay, so tree equals weapon, sort of. We already knew that. What we are not sure about is this: we've got the witch symbol, and what looks like a bleeding heart. Upside down figures usually signified death, of some kind," Alaric said pointing to an isolated drawing. I looked at it for a moment then remembered the story Rebekah told me of Esther's death. "Mikael killed the witch by ripping out her heart. But... why is that one connected to the witch's death?" "We don't know. We haven't gotten that far," Bonnie said pursing her lips and staring at the drawing as well.  
>I looked at it for a moment when I had a revelation. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the drawing dumbfounded and pieced it all together. "Oh my god... Rebekah doesn't know the real story." Alaric and Bonnie both looked at me questioningly, but I ignored them and walked out of the tunnels and back to the Boarding House.<p>

Gene's POV  
>I sat on the couch as Rebekah poured herself another glass of scotch. As she turned to sit next to me, Elena stormed into the Boarding House holding multiple photos. "I thought I told you to leave?" Rebekah asked frowning at Elena. "Twice," I added while holding up two fingers. Elena rolled her eyes then gave Rebekah a serious look. "How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?" At that question, I froze as I knew they had find out the truth, and Rebekah was about to find out. "Nik was there. He told me." "He lied to you." "And how do you know that?" Rebekah asked crossing her arms with a doubtful face. "The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols," Elena said placing the pictures down on the small table in front of the couch. "The story of your family: how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this. This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol. And this is the one for your mother."<br>"Her necklace," Rebekah said absentmindedly raising a hand to where her necklace used to sit for 900 years. Elena nodded her head then pointed to the last picture and said, "And this is the story of her death. The hybrid killed the Original Witch. Not Mikael. Klaus." Rebekah stared at the picture in shock for a moment then shook her head in denial. "No! No, he wouldn't." "She put the curse on him, made it so that he would be the only one of his kind, and then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence... when he turned, all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father, so that he wouldn't lose you." I watched with emotionless eyes as Rebekah came to terms with the truth. Her brother whom she loved so wholeheartedly killed their mother. "These mean nothing! They're just stupid drawings, done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!" She yelled picking up the pictures and tearing them into pieces, then throwing them into the fireplace.  
>"Then why are you so upset?" Elena asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Why are you doing this to me? I've done nothing to you!" Rebekah yelled as her eyes began to water. You could hear the pain in her voice and see it in her eyes. "Klaus killed your mother. He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop!" Elena yelled in anger, trying and failing to persuade Rebekah to help kill Nik. Angry, Rebekah sped over to Elena and grabbed her by the throat, bearing her fangs. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't talk anymore! Nothing!" Getting up from my spot on the couch, I walked over to the girls and gently pulled Rebekah's hand off of Elena's throat. I then pulled her into a hug as she gasped in pain and her legs gave out. We both fell to the floor as she cried in my arms. "Leave, Elena," I said not even looking her way. She made a vulnerable girl cry by poking at the old wounds on her heart. No matter how bad someone may be, you don't bring up dead family. Not like this.<p>

After about five minutes of crying, I carried Rebekah up to her room where she fell asleep soundly. Walking back down to the living room, I went to pour myself some bourbon when I sensed another presence in the room. "You know, if you're here to get me to lure Nik back for you, you might have better luck elsewhere." I turned around to see a man, who I was assuming was Mikael, with a smirk on his face. "Genevieve Salvatore. I have heard quite a bit about you. A different kind of abomination, are you not?" At his words, I rolled my eyes and took a seat on the couch. "A hybrid, yes. Half-witch, half-vampire." Mikael nodded his head then took a seat on the couch opposite me as my brothers both walked in. "Gene, I see you've met Papa Original." "We need you to lure Klaus back so we can kill him." I nodded my head as I placed my empty glass down then gave my brothers a sad smile. "Sorry, but I won't let you kill him."  
>My brothers looked at me in shock and their mouths fell. "What?" Damon asked stepping towards me with a hard glare. I flinched slightly at the look he was giving me then glared back at him. "I have my reasons, Damon. Stefan, you know I wouldn't do this unless it was a good one." Stefan looked at me; thinking over what I was saying then nodded his head. Damon, however, stared at me in anger. "Ah, I see now. You are in love with my idiot sun," Mikael said smirking at me. I glared at him as he got up and went to pour himself a drink as well. "I see. Abomination does call to abomination." Angry, I narrowed my eyes as I made his glass shatter in his hands. "It seems you have a temper as well. Tell me; is Klaus out of the country?" I glared at him as I crossed my arms and remained silent. "Has he spoken to you since he left?" he continued to ask. I continued to stay silent as he glared at me in frustration. "When was the last time you spoke to Niklaus?" "I'm not telling you shit," I finally said, causing him to smirk at me and slowly walk towards my brothers. "I really hope this game of 20 questions isn't your secret weapon," Damon said in a snarky tone as Mikael turned his glare to him. "You see, Damon, I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive. It's why I found you here. It's why I'm gunna find Niklaus." "Well, Klaus has been running for about thousand years so…" I said with a smirk, knowing that would anger him.<p>

Mikael glared at me, and then slammed his hand into Damon's chest. Damon let out a loud scream of pain as I jumped up, ready to attack. "Careful, Genevieve. One move and his heart is gone." As he said that, he plunged his hand deeper into Damon's chest. "Now, where is Klaus? One twist and your brother is dead." "Once she's made up her mind she won't budge. It's pointless," Stefan said in a panic, not knowing what he should do. "Really? Her love for Klaus is so strong that she will let her own brother die?" "I could kill you in the blink of an eye," I said showing my witch face. Mikael seemed shocked at first, but regained his smirk. "Your brother would still die. Are you willing to live with that on your conscious?" I remained silent for a moment then let out a sigh and nodded my head. "Fine. I'll only lure him here. Then I will stand against you."  
>Mikael smirked and removed his hand from Damon's chest, causing him to let out a groan and fall to the floor. "I knew you would give in. Family means as much to you, as it does my children. You really do have the traits of a Mikaelson," he said wiping his hand on a rag. I glared at him as he said, "Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls, and I will gladly fight you to kill him. Fail to get him here and I will drive a stake through your brothers' hearts." I glared as he walked out of the room and I flung a piece of wood across the room and into his chest. "Tsk, tsk. Temper, darling," he smirked, pulling out the piece of wood and walking out.<p> 


	11. Chapter 10 - Homecoming

I paced in the living room of the Boarding House as I stared at Nik's contact on my phone. My brothers and Elena watched me patiently, knowing how hard this was for me, and waited for me to call him. I stopped my pace, facing the hallway that led to the front door and stared at his name. I couldn't do this. I couldn't call him to his death. As I was about to turn to apologize to my brothers, Rebekah walked into the living room with a somber face. "So what are we waiting for?" she asked as she crossed her arms. I turned to her with sad eyes, showing I couldn't do it. She ran over to me and hugged me for a second, comfortingly rubbing my back. "It's alright, Gene." My eyes watered as I took in a deep breath, and called him.

The phone rang for a moment, then Nik answered with, "Portland is fantastic. Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people it is literally a breading ground for werewolves." I smiled weakly at his humor, then said, "Nik, Mikael is dead." Immediately, his humorous attitude ended and I heard only silence on the other end of the phone. "What did you say to me?" "I daggered him." "Well, first I want you to explain to me exactly what happened," he said shortly causing me to groan at his rudeness. Hearing me, Nik let out an airy chuckle and said, "Please, my little Vie." Hearing his nickname for me sent a stabbing pain of guilt through my heart as I began the story.

One Hour Earlier

"Hey let's say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait," Damon said with a proud face as he sat on the couch. I rolled my eyes as Elena retorted, "And you what? Vervained him?" "No, _we_ vervained him. This guy is an original. It has to be realistic," Stefan added. "Okay fine. _We _vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger," Damon said. "Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead…" "We drove it through his heart," Stefan added. I nodded my head as I thought it over. Seemed realistic enough I guess.

"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?" I asked with narrowed eyes. "Good point my little love! Klaus trusts that you wouldn't lie to him. So the idea is to make sure you aren't. Makes the story-telling a lot easier." "Hey, I'm just in charge of getting him back here," I said, holding up my hands in surrender. "Klaus is smart, if we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof." "Then I shall be dead," the old git said walking into the room. "What if he wants to see you in person?" "Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. Genevieve will lure him here, and I will kill him," he said smirking over at me. "With what, old man? Those daggers won't work on him." He chuckled at my insult and shook his head. "Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

I froze in my seat as the color faded from my face and a smirk returned to his face. "Where is it?" I asked frantically. My brothers turned away as the fear and pain showed in my eyes. They knew how much this hurt me, and they hated seeing it. But they needed this to be done, no matter what. "Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy." "Against what?" Elena asked with furrowed eyebrows. "You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can't dagger an original without dying. So- it falls to you, Elena, or Genevieve." "Why Gene?" Stefan asked getting into 'protective brother mode'. Mikael chuckled then said, "She is a hybrid. She is the exception to all vampiric rules." Mikael outstretched his hand, holding the dagger, waiting for Elena or I to do it. Elena had began to reach for it, but I vamped forward and grabbed it. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

"I wanna see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself," Nik said with a determined tone. I let out a sigh, knowing this was going exactly as Mikael had wanted. "Well, his body is here waiting for you… and so am I." "I know my little Vie… Is Rebekah there? I wanna talk to her." I let out a sigh as I handed the phone to my blonde best friend. She gave me a small smile, then said, "Hello Nik." "Rebekah, love. What's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run in with the dagger?" "It's true. He's finally out of our lives for good. We miss you, and I'm miserable here." I laughed slightly at her words, as I heard Nik say, "I'll be home soon." "Good. We'll be waiting for you, brother." She hung up the phone and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She was feeling as emotionally stressed as I was. "He bought it. He's coming home." "Now- was that easy or what?" Damon asked with a huge smirk. "Let's just get this over with," I said, bending over and pulling out the dagger from Mikael's chest.

Rebekah's POV

I sat in the living room painting my toe nails as I waited for Mikael to wake up. It was time for my father and I to have a talk. I waited patiently for a few minutes when he started groaning and coughing, then got up. "Finally. Took you long enough," I snapped as he stiffly got up from the floor. "Rebekah." "Whatever fatherly rubbish you're thinking- save it. Nothing you say matters to me." "I see. Where is my dagger?" "Elena has it. So you can forget your plans to use it on me," I said with a glare as I blew on my wet toe nails lightly. "You were never what I was after," he said dismissively, with the slightest tinge of sadness. "Nik was my family. If you were after him, you were after me," I said, anger rising in my body. How _dare_ he. "He blinded you, Rebekah. He killed your mother!"

At his words, my heart ached. Still, thinking of the lie Niklaus has told me over these centuries hurt. My brother, whom I stood by through everything, betrayed me. "I know what he did, and he'll pay for it with his life. But Nik was not born a killer- none of us were! You did this to us when you turned us into vampires! You destroyed our family. Not him," I said as my eyes watered. I would not cry in front of this monster. I will not show him my weakness. But I will show him the pain he has caused us all. "Rebekah…" he said with sad eyes, hoping he could earn my forgiveness. I shook my head and walked away. Forgiveness is only given to those who deserve it.

Gene's POV

Bonnie and I were sitting on Elena's bed, with pictures of the runic symbols, as she looked in her closet for a dress. She was more than a smidge frustrated, but thankfully for me, I let Caroline handle my dress. Thank God. After searching through her closet at least twice, Elena let out a sigh. "I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to Homecoming." "So, don't go. Let's stay home order takeout and over analyze ancient hieroglyphic thingies with Alaric," Bonnie said with a huge and pleading smile. "We have to go. Caroline will kill us." "Ha- Caroline actually has a date…" Bonnie mumbled out in a slightly irritated and sad tone. "You know that you can talk to me about Jeremy, right?" Elena asked with a concerned face. I mentally face-palmed at her words and gave her a face that asked 'Are you kidding me?'

"I don't need to talk about it. He fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and lied about it. What´s done is done." "You have to talk about it. He hurt you, Bonnie. I am mad at him, too." "You are mad at your little brother. You'll yell at him a little, teach him a life lesson. You can't really be mad like I am mad. And you shouldn't have to be. He's your brother. So no I can't really talk to you about it," Bonnie said shaking her head with sad eyes. I grabbed her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze, "But I can. I'm here for you Bonnie."

Elena's POV

I walked into Rebekah's room and saw her standing in front of a circular mirror that hung on the wall. "Getting a head start, huh?" I asked with a teasing smile. She chuckled lightly and gave me a nervous smile then took in a large breath. "Embarrassing truth? This is my first high school dance." My eyes immediately widened in shock. She's lived for a thousand years, but has never been to a high school dance? "Ever?" asked to confirm my thoughts. She giggled at my reaction and nodded her head. "I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running. Anyway- I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Have you heard anymore from him?" she asked a bit sadly.

I shook my head and gave her a reassuring smile and said, "No. But I'm sure that when he does return he'll do it with flair." "And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?" I nodded my head, about to tell her, but she immediately shook her head. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just- I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael." "I know it's really hard. So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town," I said with a grateful smile. "Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can," she said looking down at the ground with teary eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked a little worried. "I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart," she said sadly then shaking her eyes and fanning her face. "No tears- I don't want to ruin my makeup." She turned her back and looked herself over in the mirror then asked, "How do I look?" "You look amazing! But you're missing one thing," I said with a smile and pulling her mother's necklace from my pocket. She immediately turned around and stared at with sad and happy eyes. "My mother's necklace." "You should wear it tonight. May I?" I asked and she turned to look back in the mirror, nodding her head. I put the necklace around her neck and clasped it as she raised a hand to touch it. She smiled wistfully at it and said a quiet, "Thank you." I then stabbed Mikael's dagger into her back, piercing her heart. She screamed in shock and pain and grabbed onto the small wardrobe in front of her as she slowly turned grey and fell to the floor. "I'm so sorry. I can't leave anything to chance either."

I sat on Rebekah's bed quietly as Damon covered Rebekah's body with a blanket, and Stefan walked in and sat by my side, rubbing my back. "In the back! Harsh!" he said with a teasing smirk. Stefan and I gave him unamused faces and shook our heads. "It had to be done. Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side." "Hey, it's alright," Stefan said pulling me into his chest, as Damon said, "I'm not judging you. It's very- 'Katherine' of you." I gave him a dumbfounded face and said, "Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon." "Ignore him," Stefan said glaring at Damon, as usual. "Hey, it was a compliment. Sort of…" Damon said shrugging his shoulders and sitting on one of Rebekah's chairs.

"You know," I began, catching Stefan and Damon's attention, "I've been thinking. Every time we have a plan, someone always lets their humanity get in the way and screws the whole thing up. It's probably gonna be me." Damon looked at me as if I was an idiot than said, "Elena, you just daggered somebody." "You will be fine," Stefan finished for him. A gave them both a small smile then looked down at the floor. "But I feel bad about it. I care too much, that's the problem. I'm the weak link." Damon shrugged his shoulders then said, "If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead," causing Stefan and I to both chuckle.

"Do you guys trust him? Mikael?" Without a second's hesitation, Damon and Stefan both shook their heads and said, "No." I stayed silent for a moment, then gave Damon a sad look and asked, "What about Gene?" At the mention of her his smirk fell and he seemed to be having some sort of internal battle. I mean, Gene was the person Damon cared about the most. But she fell in love with Klaus, and Damon seems to resent her for it. "No…" he said after a while, causing Stefan and I to look at him sadly. "Not as long as she's in love with that bastard." Stefan let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair as he nodded. "We know Gene. She'll do whatever it takes to protect those she loves," he said sadly. I nodded my head as well. I haven't known her that long, but that was the first thing anyone learned about her. She cared for others.

"We need a better plan," I said throwing myself back on Rebekah's bed and just laying there comfortably. "I know what to do. You're just not gonna like it," Damon said, back to his cocky self, and standing in front of Stefan and I. Stefan raised a brow at him in confusion then asked, "Why not?" "Well, you might," he said pointing to Stefan, then said, "but she won't." I looked at him with a confused face and gestured for him to continue. "When this all goes down, I don't want her having any part of it." I looked at him in shock and asked, "What does that mean?" "Do you trust me?" Damon asked Stefan and I. Stefan and I nodded our heads as Damon smirked. "Then you have nothing to worry about."

Gene's POV

Elena and I were getting ready in my room when my phone went off, playing a song that Caroline had wrote and sang. Letting it ring for a bit, Elena and I danced to the song as I slowly made my way to my phone. "Yello," I said answering it. "Were you dancing to the song again?" Caroline asked in a slightly agitated tone. "Duh. It's my jam," I said teasingly. "You are so weird," she said causing me to smile in pride. "Well, the gym's flooded," she said in a disappointed tone, causing me to perk up at the news. "So, does that mean I don't have to go?" Elena looked at me questioningly, as I put my phone on speaker. "You wish! No, Tyler is moving the party to his house." "Kegs and beerpong for Homecoming? That's- different…" Elena said in an unsure tone. I nodded my head, agreeing with her as Caroline shrieked, "Just say you're still coming?!"

I sighed, as I heard someone knocking at the door. Handing my phone to Elena, to deal with Caroline, I walked down the stairs to the front door and answered it. When I opened the door, I saw a dashing Matt, with a pretty corsage, that actually went with my dress. "Hey Matty," I said smiling at him and stepping aside so he could enter. "Hey," he said smiling at me then looking at my pajamas. Hey, I wasn't done. "Nice dress. Very understated," he said teasingly causing me to roll my eyes playfully. "Hey, I'm not done. Are you here for Elena?" I asked in a confused tone. He shook his head and said (RHYMED), "I'm here for Rebekah."

I frowned and gave him a curious look, "Bekah's not here. I thought she left already." Matt's smile immediately dropped and he seemed bummed out. "So now I have no date." I smiled at his cuteness and gave his arm a pat. "Well, if you're okay with it, I could be your date. I was going to go stag," I said slightly embarrassed. He smiled and nodded his head. "That'd be great. I'll wait for you in the living room," he said walking and taking a seat as I went back up to my room.

Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Elena, Matt and I walked into the Lockwood Mansion and stared at the huge party already taking place. Everyone from the school was here, and Caroline seemed to be angry that Tyler planned a party better than her. "How did he plan a better party than me so fast? What? Is that a band outside?" she asked angrily. I rolled my eyes at her competitiveness and looked around, noticing that half the people here didn't go to school with us. Crap. Hybrids. "Who are all these people?" Bonnie asked as she intertwined her arm with Elena's so they wouldn't be separated. Following her lead, I link my arm into Matt's. He smiled at me then leaned down to my ear and asked, "Do you want something to drink?" "Water, please." Matt nodded his head and walked off into the giant crowd as I watched nervously as he left.

I decided to go outside. It was disgustingly stuffy in here from all the people breathing. Making my way outside, I saw a giant crowd of people dancing to the band. I smiled at the fun all these teens seemed to be having when I saw Tyler walking by. "Hey Gene," he said hugging me then looking at my dress. "Well don't you clean up nice," he said teasingly. I smacked his arm, looking around then gave him an unsure glance. "This is his party isn't it?" He nodded his head and looked around as well. "Yes, but it's not a party. It's a wake," he said just as Nik stepped onto the stage. The dancing crowd stopped and cheered for him, causing me to roll my eyes. "Come on. I understand they're sired, but cheering? Really?" I asked Tyler who slung his arm over my shoulder while laughing. "Good evening everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!" At that, I laughed as well, then crossed my arms and shook my head.

Spotting me, Nik jumped off the stage as his hybrids made a path for him to walk through that led straight to me. Seeing, Tyler's arm around my shoulders, he growled. Tyler immediately removed it and took a step away from me. "Don't you start," I said glaring at Nik, causing him to give Tyler and I an apologetic look. "Can you leave us?" Tyler then nodded his head and quickly left. Nik stood in front of me, looking me over with a brilliant smile on his face, causing me to blush. I cleared my throat then said, "Quite the Homecoming." He let out a musical laugh and took a step closer to me, grabbing my hand and leading me to walk around with him. "I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea." I smiled at him as we walked through the various hybrids and teens who looked at us in envy. Women wanted to be with Nik, and men wanted to be with me.

After a moment of silence, I got up the courage to finally ask him the question that was on my mind. "So, now what'll you do? Will you stop running?" I asked with a hopeful voice. I knew you could probably see it in my eyes, but I couldn't help it. I wanted a life with this man, and if he stayed here, maybe I could have it. "Hm- now I reunite my family." Hearing that, my hopeful mood fell and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Your family. You mean undagger them?" "Yes, well Mikael is gone. Bygones will be bygones." As we began walking again, Nik and I saw the Homecoming Queen walking with her sash and tiara still. "Seems the Homecoming Queen still walks among the living, which leads me to believe Rebekah isn't here... Where is she?" I looked at the girl curiously then shrugged my shoulders. "I thought she was already here." Nik furrowed his eyebrows and remained silent for a moment, thinking it over.

Damon's POV

I poured myself a glass of blood as Mikael walked into the room. "Did my daughter go to the dance?" I nodded my head, lying through my teeth flawlessly. "Yep - you missed the photo op. Did you get the stake?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him and taking another sip of blood. "I did." "I'm not gonna take your word for it. No offense to your honor and all…" I said making a wide gesture and widening my eyes, then smirking. "None taken," he said opening his coat and pulling out the stake. "Fancy. May I?" I asked reaching my hand out for it, but he pulled it back and placed it into his jacket. "It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill an original. So I think I'll hold on to it. No offense."

"I'd offer you a drink- but Katherine tells me you're more of a 'vampire on the rocks' kind of guy." "Well, technically you could still offer," he said with a teasing smirk. I gave him an unamused face then took a sip of my drink and looked at him curiously, "Why feed on vampires? Don't tell me it's for the smooth aftertaste." He gave me a content sigh and looked down at the floor, "I had a hand in creating vampires, but bloodlust was never my intention. Over the centuries I learned to feed from the predator, not the innocent."

Just then, Gene walked in looking beautiful. What else would she look? She's my sister? ;) "Change of plans. Nik is back. He's at the Lockwood's and he wants your body delivered to his doorstep," she said begrudgingly. Mikael smirked at her then rubbed his hands together. "I'm afraid he is in for a colossal disappointment." "Well, he's certainly not gonna come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?" she asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Frustrated with the glaring contest I said, " No, it didn't depend on that." "You do have a plan though, right?" "Oh, yeah. We have a plan, alright. Just doesn't involve you." I said smirking at her as she let out a sigh. She was about to say something when Mikael leapt at her with his fangs bared. He was going to try to drink from her? Before anything could happen, she kicked him while he was mid-leap. "Sorry, but only one person gets to drink this blood." At that I looked at her in confusion as she broke off a leg from the coffee table and pierced it through his heart. "Now you have to wait a couple minutes to start your plan."

Gene's POV

I walked back into the Lockwood mansion with an excess amount of anger that I needed to displace, and there was one thing I wanted to do more than ever. I began walking through the party as I determinedly looked for Tyler. After a few minutes of searching, I finally found him at a keg, pouring himself a drink. "Hey, Ty, can I ask you something?" I asked shyly. Not many people knew my little secret, so I got shy about the topic, but I needed this. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked smiling at me and sending glares to a group of guys standing off to the side that were checking me out. I chuckled at his protectiveness, which was probably caused by loyalty to Nik. "Is there a music room here? Maybe a piano?" Groaning, Tyler turned so he stood with his back to the group of guys, and was effectively blocking me from their sights. "Yeah, it's upstairs. Take a left at the landing and it's the last door on the right." I smiled in thanks and quickly pushed my way through the crowd and up the stairs.

When I found it, I couldn't suppress the giant grin that came to my face. It's perfect. Smiling to myself, I slowly walked towards the many guitars. I ran my fingers over the strings as all my anger faded. I stopped my slow walk and turned to the beautiful piano in front of me. It's been so long since I've played. Biting my lip in nervousness, I sat on the bench and uncovered the keys. I smiled down at the beautiful ebony and ivory, lightly running my fingers over them. I took in a deep breath and played a single chord. Hearing the melodic notes, I got shivers and couldn't help but smile even brighter. I took in a deep breath and began playing a piece of music composed by Carter Burwell as warm up. (His pieces are really good! Check him out :D)

When I finished, I let out a content sigh and thought for a moment on a song that would be perfect to let out my frustrations. Suddenly, the song struck me as I clapped to myself in happiness. Clearing my throat, I lightly traced my fingers over the keys for the beginning notes as I tapped the tempo with my foot. Counting down from three, I took a deep breath and began to play the song. (Let's pretend by SOME WAY this song was out in 2010. Kay? Kay.) As I played, I moved my body to the beat and let out all my frustrations. Every emotion I was feeling: anger, sadness, love, hurt, etc., I put into my singing.

As I finished the song, I heard a loud clapping coming from behind me, causing me to shriek in surprise. I turned around to see the main person I was singing about, Niklaus. He gave me a brilliant and proud smile as he clapped his way over to me and I stood from the piano bench. "Wonderful, my little vie! I had no idea you were so gifted," he said pulling me into his arms for a hug. I blushed at his praise and mumbled out a small 'Thank you' as I continued to let him smother me in hugs and compliments. After a few minutes of it, however, I had enough. "Alright, Nik," I said pulling away from him with a bright smile. Seeing mine, Nik smiled back at me. "You know, I still haven't told you how beautiful you look in that dress," he said taking a step closer to me. Smiling, I took a step as well as I asked, "Is that so?" He nodded his head, still smiling and took a step closer. "No one on this Earth can compare." I looked down as I blushed, taking a step closer.

When I looked up, I realized we were now standing chest-to-chest. Looking into his eyes, my smile slowly fell as I got lost in the depths of his ocean blue orbs. I stared at them desperately. Searching. Does he still love me after everything we found out? Will he finally admit to love? Can we start a family? As I was lost in his eyes, Nik had slowly began leaning in, although I hadn't noticed until our noses were touching. Taking in a shaky breath, I put a hand on his chest, feeling his slow heartbeat. I let out my breath as I slowly moved my hand up his chest and around his shoulder, lightly playing with his adorable curls. Following my lead, he gently placed his arms around my waist and pulled me as close to his body as I could go be.

There we stood, bodies intertwined, breathing in each other's scents, enjoying the close touch. As I kept my neck buried in his chest, inhaling his cologne, playing with his hair; I felt his arms rubbing my back, feeling my shoulder blades and tracing the curves of my body. "I love you so much, Genevieve," he said in the quietest of whispers, in the shakiest of tones, with the most fear and love in each word then I've ever heard in an entire conversation. I pulled away slightly, looking up at his beautiful face and seeing all the fear and pain etched into his angelic features. His eyes were watery and pained, and his jaw was clenched in frustration. I placed my hand on his cheek, being tickled lightly by his ever present stubble, and caressed it. "I know, Niklaus. I've never been so scared of losing someone in my life. But then again, no one in my life has ever meant as much to me as you do." He smiled lightly at my words then grabbed my hand and clasped onto it, with his eyes squeezed shut, bringing it down to his lips and kissing it. "I will kill anyone that tries to harm me… but only to prevent anyone from harming you," he said pulling me back into our tight embrace and kissing the top of my head.

As we continued to simply enjoy being this close to each other, without worrying about seeming weak to others, or overprotective brothers, one of Nik's hybrids walked into the room. He growled in annoyance at the sight of him, which made him shake in fear. Since I still had my arms around his neck, I smacked the back of his head, causing the hybrid's face to fill with shock. "Don't be rude," I said pulling away from the hug, only to have Nik grab my hand and keep me by his side. "You have a visitor," the hybrid said shakily causing me to smile at him in reassurance. "Well, tell my visitor I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment." "He said his name is Mikael." At the mention of his father's name, Nik froze and looked at me with a worried and unsure face. I smiled at him then got onto my tip toes, placing a light kiss on his cheek and nodded my head. Nik returned the nod then looked at his hybrid with an ecstatic smirk, "Well we mustn't keep him waiting. Move everyone out back. We're gonna have a little chat with my dad."

Nik and I walked down the stairs and towards the open front door where the crazy git stood with a smirk. "Hello, Niklaus, Genevieve." "Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. I forgot you can't." I giggled at Nik's joke as Mikael glared and took a step back from the door with open arms. "Or you can come outside if you want." "Or we could watch the hybrids tear you limb from limb," I said glaring at him, causing Nik to smirk proudly. "They can't kill me." "True. But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce." Mikael chuckled darkly at Nik and shook his head, causing me to grab Nik's hand into mine. "The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me," he said waving over a female hybrid who had Elena in her hands.

I was about to speed out and help her, when Nik stopped me. I looked at him in shock then looked back at Elena, only to realize that it was Katherine. My shocked face fell into a pleased smirk as she winked at me. Oh Katerina. The female hybrid handed Kathy over to Mikael as he grabbed onto her arm, "Come out and face me, Nikaus. Or she dies." "Go ahead. Kill her," Nik said nonchalantly. He was worried. That I knew. But he had to seem like Mikael couldn't faze him. Playing the part, my face filled with fake shock and panic, "No, Nik, he'll do it." "If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations," Mikael said turning and pointing to the hybrids surrounding him. "I don't need them," Nik said with a hard glare as he put an arm around my shoulders. I smiled to myself in happiness and added, "He already has me."

Mikael glared at us in disgust as Nik watched him with an unmoved face. "I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her." Angry that he couldn't bait Nik, Mikael snapped. "Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won't have to." Nik narrowed his eyes at Mikael and took a step forward, removing his arm from my shoulders, but not letting go of my hand. "My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!" he yelled with watery and angry eyes, causing Mikael to laugh. "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." He snapped his fingers, and a compelled hybrid jumped out and shoved a steak in my heart, as Mikael stabbed Katherine with a dagger. I screamed in pain, gripping at the steak in my chest as Nik immediately ripped the heart out of the hybrid that attacked me. He then came to my side, holding me in his arms, and pulled out the steak. Although I wouldn't die, I would be weak. I needed blood.

Damon then jumped from behind us and pulled me off of Nik, thinking I would keep myself from falling. But in my weakened state, I went sliding across the floor and hit a wall. He had stabbed Nik in the stomach with the white oak stake as Katherine stood up. "Katherine…" Mikael said in shock as she smirked at him, pulling two grenades from her coat and throwing them at the hybrids. "Kaboom." As I got distracted by Katherine, Damon removed the stake from Nik's stomach and was about to stab it into his heart. As fast as I could get my weak body to go, I vamped behind him and took the stake, then threw it to Nik. "What are you doing?!" he yelled in anger as Nik caught it and dove at Mikael, stabbing it into his heart. Nik and I watched in joy as he burst into flames and died, while my brother watched in anger. "What the hell did you do?" he asked grabbing me roughly and shaking me. This was the angriest I've ever seen him, and it somewhat frightened me. Nik immediately threw Damon off of me as my body finally collapsed. He effortlessly caught me in his arms as everything around me faded into darkness.

Damon's POV

Elena and I sat in the living room, the fireplace was burning, and I had a glass of bourbon in my hand. We were so close. He was almost gone. "How did this happen?" Elena asked sadly and confusedly. I took a drink from my glass, shrugging my shoulders. "We thought of everything, Elena! Klaus having hybrids. Mikael turning on us. We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger. Anything that could have gone wrong we were prepared!" I yelled standing from my seat and beginning to pace. "I dont understand. Gene would never chose someone over you and Stefan. That's what we were counting on." I let out an airy chuckle and ran a hand through my hair. My Gene. My baby sister… she chose love over me… I'm losing her.

"We blew it," I said walking over to my bourbon collection and finishing off my glass. It was silent for a moment. The only sounds in the room was the fire crackling and the ticks of a Grandfather clock. "Where's Katherine?" Elena asked quietly. At the mention of her, I snorted and began to chuckle. "She ran for the hills like usual, the minute things got bad! And who blames her?! Klaus would've crushed her," I said grabbing a scotch bottle to pour myself more. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "I had him, Elena… I had Klaus! This could have all been over!"

At the thought of our huge fail, my anger spiked and I threw the bottle of scotch that was in my hand into the fireplace. It shattered and the fire roared as it consumed all the various shards. Elena flinched at my actions and jumped up to her feet, walking over to me to calm me. "Hey. Damon... Hey! Hey, listen to me!" She said as she grabbed my face and made me look into her eyes. They were a deep chocolatey color I loved so much and were full of sadness and worry. "We'll survive this. We always survive. Trust me." I wanted to so badly, but how could I survive this? "We lost Gene. I can't survive knowing that we actually lost her. This is different from when she turned it off. She willingly left us, Elena. You know that, don`t you?" She gave me sad and watery eyes and nodded her head, pulling me into a tight hug. "Then we'll let her go. Okay? We'll have to let her go." Hearing those words, my heart broke. How can I let her go?

Just then, my phone rang. I pulled away from Elena and dug into my pocket, grabbing my phone and seeing that it was Katherine. "Not interested in the play by play of our failure right now, Katherine." "I'm just calling to say goodbye. I don't know what to tell you. You had a good plan Damon. And that's high praise coming from me." Hearing her 'compliment', I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. "That's not very comforting at the moment. You're going back into hiding?" "At least my life is not boring. Goodbye, Damon." I smiled lightly, then quietly said, "Take care of yourself, Katherine."

Stefan's POV

I sat in the car with Katherine as she drove away from the city and hung up her phone. "He doesn't know where it all went wrong…" I nodded my head with pursed lips, knowing Damon was replaying it all in his head, wondering where it went wrong. "He doesn't need to know," I said quietly as looked out the window. After driving for a while, Katherine stopped the car and looked over at me. She began to ask, "Are you good from here? I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible. Stefan?" but I couldn't really hear her. My mind was racing just thinking about what I learned.

Flashback to Salvatore Boarding House

I had walked into my room and was looking for a tie when Elena came rushing into my room. I looked at her questioningly and slightly worried, "Elena?" "Not exactly…" she said with a smirk, causing me to roll my eyes and look back into my closet. "Pep up! I only got a minute before they realize that I'm not at the party." "What do you want, Katherine?" I had finally found a tie that I liked and walked to my mirror to put it on. "This plan. It's not going to work. Gene won't let you kill Klaus. She loves him too much," she said with a serious face. I turned from the mirror and gave her a curious glance with narrowed eyes then returned my sights to the mirror. "So pull the plug on the plan." "And face the wrath of Mikael? We'll all be dead! Okay look, there's only one way to get to Klaus, besides Gene." I finished tying my tie and turned to her with a pursed lips, deciding to humor her. "What's that?" She smirked at me and put her hands on her hips and said one single word. "Family."

I sat in thought for a few more minutes then pursed my lips and turned to Katherine questioningly. "You wanted Klaus dead for 500 years. Why would you risk all that?" Katherine's signature smirk slowly fell at my question, and her eyes seemed to glaze over. After a moment of silence she lightly shook her head, as if trying to dismiss a thought or memory, then let out a sigh. "I'm not just doing it for me, Stefan. I'm doing it for Gene. Let's just say, I have a soft spot for her." I snorted in surprise and began to laugh while shaking my head. "Nah. Come on, Katherine. You don't care about anybody but yourself. You never have." At my words, her eyes saddened and I almost regretted my words. "You and I both know that that is not true. I loved you, I loved Damon, too. Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness... No matter how easy it is to turn it off- it just keeps trying to fight it's way back in. Sometimes I let it."

I watched her carefully for a moment and took in her words. They were true. Even the worst of vampires let their humanity in sometimes. Like Klaus everytime he was around Gene. "Thank you, Katherine," I said after a moment of silence. She seemed shocked at my words, then nodded her head with an actual smile. For a moment, I saw the Katherine Pierce I had fallen in love with, but I quickly turned away and put that thought out of my mind.

Nik's POV

I drove to the warehouse where I was keeping the coffins, my little Vie laying in the seat next to me. I smiled at her peaceful face and decided on calling Bekah. It was odd that she wasn't at the party, and I thought she'd like to know Mikael was dead. Calling her phone, it rang for several minutes until it went to her voicemail. "Rebekah, where are you? Pick up the phone, darling. Daddy is dead. It's time for a family reunion," I said with a proud smirk on my face. Oh, how long I've been wanting to say those words. As I was going to put my phone in my pocket, I got another call. I looked down and saw that it was Stefan. Confused, I grabbed the phone and answered, "Stefan! Miss me already?" I laughed for a moment, knowing he was probably rolling his eyes or staring unhappily in front of him. "I'm just calling to thank you for helping Gene, who I assume, is still with you." I looked back over at the sleeping beauty next to me and smiled happily at her. "Well you are correct in your assumptions. And really, it's no problem mate."

Finally arriving at the warehouse, I parked the car and got out, leaving Genevieve to rest. I walked into the warehouse and towards the truck I carried the coffins around in as Stefan said, "Thing is, you're bad for Gene. By your side, all she'll ever feel is pain." Hearing his words, my smirk fell and I clenched my fist tightly. He was right. But I could never let her go. "Let bygones be bygones, trust me. Resentment get's old" "You know what never get's old? Revenge." One of my eyebrows raised in confusion as I tried to make sense of his words. I walked over to the truck and opened the back, immediately freezing in shock. It's empty. They're gone. "No." "What's the matter, Klaus? Missing something?" he asked in a victorious tone. I stood silently in shock as I heard the creaking of a coffin being opened on his side of the phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked through gritted teeth, now beyond angry at Stefan's actions. "It's just leverage. I want you to leave, Klaus. And never so much as say Gene's name again." I immediately glared as a low growl rumbled out of my throat. How _dare _he?! "I will kill you and everyone you've ever met!" I yelled through the phone kicking a crate, causing it to fly across the warehouse. "You do that- and you will never see your family again, and Gene will never forgive you. I wonder Klaus, as someone who has been one step ahead for a thousand years- are you prepared for this?"


	12. Chapter 11 - Coffins

When I had woken up after being staked, I saw that I was in a beautiful mansion that seemed to be undergoing some renovations. Walking out of, what seemed to be Niklaus' room, I walked down the grand staircase and right out the door. Exiting the mansion, I looked around at my surroundings and recognized where I was, then vamped straight to the Boarding House. When I walked in the door I was met with silence. Same as always, I thought letting out an airy chuckle, knowing they hadn't even thought to look for me. Letting out a sigh, I walked up to my room and took a warm bath, then got into a clean outfit. With everything that happened last night, I felt my mood worsen and my frustrations return. Although playing the piano yesterday helped me a bit, everything that was going on was just too much. I guess it's finally time to unlock the room. I smiled faintly, somewhat sad but also happy about the thought of playing my piano again. It's been almost 20 years since I've touched those beautiful keys. Thinking about it, my body shivered in excitement and I immediately walked out of my room and down the hallway to the private wing of the house. As I walked down the hallway I smiled as the various memories, of this once lively house, came to mind. It was almost as if I were walking back in time. When I finally came to the all too familiar door my breathing stopped as I stared at in excitement. Taking in a deep breath, I opened the door and smiled at my private room. The last time I was in here it had various velvet couches. But now, it contained a simple leather sofa and chair. All my books were still here, my light fixtures were the same, and so was my fireman's pole. Curious, I vamped up to my small loft and ran a hand over the spines of all my books. Then I saw my desk. It was updated as well, but everything on it was exactly the same as how they were arranged on my older one. I let out a wistful sigh and excitedly ran to my pole, sliding down while giggling happily. Hanging onto the pole, I caught my breath as my giggles slowly stopped. Time for the moment of truth, I thought taking in a deep breath and walking to my piano. It was my mother's. That's originally where I got my musical talent from. Damon, Stefan and I were all taught to play piano on it, although I was forced to learn how to play more instruments after my father saw how musically inclined I was. I now know how to play piano, violin, flute, clarinet, guitar, and drums. What can I say? I love it. Damon and Stefan both have a liking for the piano, so before I left I had told them, "You can play it. But when I come back the room better be updated, the piano better be tuned, and it better be clean." I couldn't help but laugh remembering that. Everything was simpler back then, but oh well. I hesitantly took a seat on the bench and opened the keys, smiling at how beautiful and cared for they were. Taking in a deep breath, I played an arpeggio, grinning widely at the familiar and beautiful sound. I have played this piano for so long, I can distinguish its sound from any other. It was like knowing the sound of your mother's voice, nothing compared. I nodded my head in approval and took in another deep breath, starting my song. Playing on this piano was like finding a long missing puzzle piece. It felt great playing the piano at the Lockwood's. But playing mine? It was indescribable. I had gotten halfway through the song when I stopped singing the tune, taking my time to enjoy the sound of the piano, when a familiar voice began to sing where I left off. I didn't flinch or even turn to look at the person as he walked closer and sat down on the bench next to me. I continued playing the song, then joined in on the singing. Our voices blended together in harmony as a smile graced my face. (RHYMED) When we finished I stayed silent and still for a moment, then turned with a pleased smile, to the guy sitting next to me. His beautiful clear eyes watched me with joy as I thought back to when I went to training. He was the closest thing I had to a brother while I was gone. I sat smiling in silence as I looked him over. He was just as I remembered him: breathtakingly clear, pale green eyes, charcoal brown hair, pink lips. Everything about him was the same as how I had it committed to memory. After a few minutes of smiling at each other stupidly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his lap. "I missed you so much," he said into my neck, inhaling my scent. I squeezed him tighter, with teary eyes as a tear of joy silently fell down my cheek. "God, I've been a mess without you," I said letting out airy chuckles. "Vivi," he said breathlessly, pulling away and giving me a sad smile. Seeing his concern, I shook my head and wiped away the stray tear, smiling brightly as ever. "No, I'm just really happy. Xander… I missed you so much," I said again, pulling him into one more hug. He let out a deep laugh, as he stood up, still holding me in his arms. "Well, I'm a bit starved. Got anything to eat?" I nodded my head as he walked out of my private room, closing the door behind him, and walked back to the main hallway. We walked down to the cellar and got a blood bag for me, then decided that we would go to the Grill, so we both got into my car, with him driving. I was hesitant, seeing as this car was my baby, but after five minutes of begging I was annoyed enough to give in. When we got there, he immediately jumped out to open my door for me and interlocked his fingers in mine, swinging our arms back-and-forth. As we entered, I couldn't help but laugh at his cute childishness. Seeing us, everyone immediately stared in curiosity at the new man in town. I noticed that most guys were checking me out, while all the girls were staring mindlessly at Xander. Xander, I admit, was drop dead gorgeous. He was 6'2" and his features were just dazzling. You were dumb if you didn't notice his beauty. "Vivi?" I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled up at my best friend with questioning eyes. "Lead away," he said through a light chuckle and gesturing forward with his free hand. "Oh right," I said realizing he was new here. I smiled as I noticed my brother and Alaric sitting at the bar, then walked straight over to them, dragging Xander along with me. "Okay, I'll give you a choice. Bloody Mary or Screw Driver. Brunch in a bottle," Damon said to Ric, who ignored him. I see the 'besties' are fighting, I thought to myself. "Come on Ric, I can't drink all this by myself. I mean I can but then somebody's getting naked. Oh man I can't believe you're making me drink alone," he said again downing the Bloody Mary. "I'm busy." I immediately grabbed the Screw Driver and downed it, then flagged down the bartender. "Well hello there little love," Damon said turning to smirk at me then looking questioningly at Xander. "Hey Day. Hey Ric," I said leaning forward and waving at the grumpy teacher. He turned from his newspaper and gave me a small smile and said, "Hey Gene." "Who's the pretty boy?" Damon asked still eyeing Xander who had ordered us two bourbons and burgers. Being the old-fashioned gentleman, Xander stood from his seat on my right and walked up to Damon, holding out his hand for a handshake. "Alessandro Rossi, but you can call me Xander. Vivi and I met at training." Damon placed his hand in Xander's and shook it with a careful gaze. "So what were you training for then?" "I wasn't special. Just a newly cursed werewolf that needed help learning to deal." Damon and Alaric nodded their heads in understanding, but you could see a spark of curiosity in their eyes. After a moment of silence Ric finally asked the big question. "You said you weren't special?" At that, Xander nodded his head and looked at me. I nodded my head in understanding then began to answer the question. "When I was training, part of it was to perform special spells on werewolves and vampires. Xander is basically a hybrid, but he isn't." Alaric nodded his head, slowly understanding, but Damon stared at me in confusion. Just seeing his face I busted out into laughter, along with Xander. It was priceless. "It means he has all the strengths of a hybrid, but he isn't a vampire, Damon." Immediately, Damon's face filled with realization as he nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, well it's the eve of Klaus-aggedon. So we should be drinking." He turned around in his seat and ordered himself another drink as I rolled my eyes and Xander sat back on his seat. "This may come as a shock, but I am not here to hang out with you. I'm here to see Jeremy. Who is an hour late for his shift," Ric said looking at the watch on his wrist. "Kids today... Where are their values?" Annoyed, Ric threw down a paper that was marked with a giant 'F'. "That's his mid-term paper. Copied it straight off the internet. Didn't even try to hide it." "Oh, somebody's getting grounded," Damon said with a smirk as he flipped through the paper. Xander and I sat silently then looked at each other with a challenging stare as we counted down. "One…" "Two…" "Three…" Immediately, we both brought the glasses up to our mouths in one swift motion that most humans couldn't see. Drinking our bourbons completely, we slammed the glasses down, and I won by a millisecond. Grinning proudly, I raised my hands up in the air in victory. "I still got it!" As I finished up my burger, Damon and Xander decided to play darts and get to know each other, which made me happy. Who wouldn't want their best friend and older brother to get along? As they played and I watched Elena made her way over, while on the phone. "Jeremy, the minute that you get this call me!" She hung up the phone, letting out a sigh and looked at me. I somewhat enjoyed the search for the younger Gilbert. It was amusing seeing everyone's frustrations. "Unbelievable!" "You're feisty when you're mad." "It's not that I'm mad. I'm just- I'm worried… Wait, who are you?" she asked Xander. He smiled politely at her and gave a small wave, "I'm Xander, Vivi's friend." "Who's Vivi?" she asked in confusion, causing me to roll my eyes. "I am. Anyways, why are you so worried about Jeremy? He can take care of himself, Elena." "He is spiraling. Ever since Bonnie broke up with him, he is moody; he's not really talking to anyone." "Sounds like a typical teenager to me," Xander said as Damon and I nodded our heads and gestured to him in agreement. "He's seeing ghosts and has lost everyone that he cares about," Elena said trying to prove that there was something wrong with him. "Not everyone. He still has you," Damon said to her as Xander and I nodded our heads. Elena let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. She took a long look at Damon then stepped closer to him with a worried face. "You okay?" "What makes you think I'm not okay?" "Well, you're day drunk. It's not exactly your most attractive look," she said shaking her head. At that Xander and I looked at each other as in saying 'Did she just say he's attractive?' Damon seemed to pick up on it as well as a smirk came to his face. "Hmm- what is my most attractive look?" he asked as he took a step closer to her. I couldn't help but giggle at that, but Xander smacked my arm. He didn't want me to ruin their little 'moment.' "Ahah- I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. I'm saying this is my least favorite one..." "Noted. See if I can make any improvements." I let out another giggle as I felt a familiar hand pull me into their body. I didn't even have to look to know who it was. I just simply leaned my body onto theirs, enjoying the feeling of being near him. Xander sent me a questioning look as I bit my lip in shyness. I looked down for a second then back up at him and nodded my head, 'I'll tell you later.' He smiled at me, happy I found someone, but Elena and Damon immediately glared at the man behind me. "Don't mind me," Nik said with a smirk as he leaned his chin onto my shoulder. "Klaus." "You gunna do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?" Damon said as he pulled Elena behind him. Oh please. "I don't know what you are talking about. I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with my mate," he said with a teasing tone. Hearing the word come out of his mouth I froze in shock. This sneaky bastard. He said it knowing only I would understand the double-meaning. Snapping out of my shock, I elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to let out a small groan of pain as everyone eyed us carefully in confusion. Shrugging my shoulders, Tony walked in, which shocked Elena. He walked over to us, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of Nik's arm, earning a growl, and into his own. "It's been a while Ms. Witchy." I let out a giggle and hugged him back as I nodded my head. "Sure has Mr. Tony." "Get a round in, would you Tony?" Nik asked with a forced smile as I walked back to him. He grabbed my arm, seeming rough to others, but in reality it was gentle. Feeling me held tightly against him, his smile returned and he turned back to Elena and Damon. When he spotted Xander he looked curious and asked, "And who might you be?" I bit my lip, scared that Nik might try to use Xander for his idiotic plans, but only Xander noticed. "I'm Xander. Genevieve's friend," he said extending his hand to Nik. I smiled nervously at him in a silent warning, but he simply continued his confident smile. "Nice to meet you, mate," Nik said putting his hand in Xander's and squeezing it. I heard all the bones in his hand crack, causing my eyes to widen in shock, but I knew he was fine. Xander didn't even show any sign of pain, but as soon as his bones reset, he squeezed Nik's hand back just as hard. I tensed, scared that Nik would snap at him, but he simply laughed and took his hand back. "I like you." At that, Elena, Damon and I visibly relaxed and I let out a pleased sigh. "So Klaus, what made you decide to stick around town long enough for happy hour?" "Well I prefer to stay close to this lovely lady. And my sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out." "Cute blonde bombshell, psycho. Shouldn't be too hard to find." Xander seemed to perk up slightly at cute blonde bombshell which made me giggle at him. "Truth is I've grown to rather like your little town. Think I might fancy a home here. Oh I imagine you're wondering how does this is affect you. The answer is: not in the slightest. Unless I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word." Hearing that the love of my immortal life was going to stay in town, I turned and hugged him tightly in happiness. Although I was happy, I knew Damon and Elena weren't. When I turned around and looked back at everyone Elena was confused as usual. "What more could you possibly want?" she asked, which made Xander and my eyes roll. I mean really? "Well for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan." At that, I pulled away from his arms and looked at him curiously along with everyone else. When I looked at Elena, she seemed hurt at the mention of him. "Stefan skipped town the second our plan failed." "Wait, what?" I asked my brother in shock. Stefan would never do that. "Well you see that is a shame. Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine." I turned back to Nik and looked at him questioningly, but he just continued to smirk at Damon and Elena. "That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem," she said with pain in her voice. I gave her a sorry smile as Nik got up and stepped closer to me. I was standing next to Elena, so Damon immediately jumped the broom and stepped in between them. "Ha. Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Stefan's POV I stood in the basement of the witch house, staring at the coffins and waiting for Bonnie to arrive. Let's just say, I've been following her. I walked over to one of them and ran my fingers lightly over the lid when I heard her enter the house. The witches began to whisper frantically as she walked down to the basement and immediately hid the coffins. I vamped into the closet, hiding, just in case she was with someone. She slowly walked to the center of the room and looked around, not able to see the coffins. "Hello Bonnie," I said stepping forward with a smirk. She turned around in shock and relaxed when she saw it was me. "You followed me here?" "Yeah. Wasn't too hard. You should probably be more careful." "What do you want?" "Relax. I just need your help," I said dropping the 'bad guy' act. "Why would I help you? Elena said you stole something from Klaus." I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair as I nodded my head. "Yes, but let me fill you in on a little secret about Klaus. He kept his family with him at all times- daggered. Stored in coffins. And now I have them, and I need you to help keep them hidden." Her mouth immediately fell as her eyes widened in shock. "Are you out of your mind? You're just gunna make him angrier." "His family is his one weakness. As long as I have that, he has to do what I say." "I don't have enough power to hide four originals!" she yelled in frustration, which caused me to laugh. "You're a witch. You hate Klaus. I know you can figure something out." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gene's POV After the run in with Nik, Elena and Ric invited Xander and I over for dinner. Xander denied because, like the gentleman he was, he didn't want to impose. Obviously, they insisted, and here we were at the Gilbert house. Elena and I were setting the table, since we are terrible cooks, as Xander and Ric made the dinner. "So, you're ready?" I asked Elena with a teasing smile as she shook her head. "Vampires, hybrids and originals- no problem. My rebellious brother- I'm worried." "Proof that you're still human," Ric said from the kitchen causing us all to laugh. Just then, Jeremy entered the house and walked straight for the fridge. "Just in time! Ric and Xander are cooking." "Sorry, just passing through." "Ah, well I thought we would all stay in, have a meal together like a typical, atypical family," Ric said from the kitchen. Jeremy stopped and turned to Ric with a questioning look, "Why?" "Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone," I mumbled to myself. Xander sent me a warning look, 'Don't butt in.' I raised my hands in surrender as Jeremy stuttered to find his words. "Ahh- look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside." "When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?" Ric asked with crossed arms. Well look at him, playing fatherly figure. "I don't know... Does it matter?" Jeremy asked in a sort of douchey way. Yikes, thank god I don't have younger siblings. "Yeah, Jeremy! It matters. He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous." "He can still hear you. He is right outside. Besides you of all people are gunna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?" "What is with the attitude?" Elena asked him with hurt eyes, and Jeremy did seem sorry, but he was a guy. They hold their pride like no other. "Yeah, whatever, this is lame. Tyler is waiting." He began to leave the house, but I sped in front of him with crossed arms. "Gene," he said with a slightly angry and slightly pleading face. "Grab some wood there," I said gesturing to the kitchen table. He groaned in annoyance and turned to Ric for help, but Ric just shook his head. "I'm with them on this, Jer. Sorry." "All right, fine. You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in then," he said in an angry tone. "Yo, Tyler! Come on in!" Oh god. Elena looked at him in shock as Ric tensed, going into defense mode. Tyler hesitantly opened the door and took a step in. He looked at us, sensing the awkward situation and walked over to my side, giving me a small hug, which I returned. I was good with Tyler, but Elena was against anything minutely related to Klaus. This was going to be a fun dinner. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Damon's POV I stood in the living room pouring myself a glass of scotch. Both of my younger siblings have found a way to make life difficult for me, I thought letting out a sigh. I turned to sit on the couch when I saw Klaus standing in the doorway. "I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?" I widened my eyes then smirked as I nodded my head. "I'd say we're overdue." "Well, you've been so busy with all your plotting and scheming," he said as he walked to my alcohol and poured himself a drink. "And you've been busy with my little sister." "Don't be so hard on yourself. Who could have guessed your own sister would betray you? Your own pride and joy?" "Well, I did have a front row seat when yours lied to you," I said taking a sip of my drink and sitting down on the couch. Although I thought it would annoy him, he just shrugged his shoulders. Seems he was used to it by now. "Yeah, well she's fickle that one. And you say you have no idea of her whereabouts?" "That's the thing with younger siblings," I said shaking my head with a frown. "You just never know what they're gunna do." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gene's POV We all sat around the dinner table as Jeremy gave Tyler a glass of water. He was sitting on my right and Xander on my left, as Elena sat across from me with Ric in front of Xander and Jeremy in front of Tyler. "Thanks." "This is weird. Klaus has hybrids stalking me and now you're just sitting in our kitchen," Elena said with a frustrated and confused face. I gave her a look that said, 'Don't be rude,' causing her to shrug her shoulders. "Look, maybe I should go," Tyler said, being the nice guy that Elena is too stubborn to see. "Oh, stay. You're not doing anything," Jeremy said with a pleading face then glared at Elena who said, "Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master." At that Tyler, Xander and I started laughing. "It's not like that Elena." "Tell me Tyler...What is the difference between being sired and being compelled?" Tyler sat in silence, thinking about how to explain it, and I decided to help him out a bit. "Compulsion is basically just mind control - like hypnosis." "And being sired is...it's like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing," he finished. Elena and Ric just stared at him as if he was a mindless robot, which he wasn't. "So you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" "Elena, he doesn't serve Nik," I said warningly. I hated rudeness. "Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that," Tyler said sending me a thankful smile. I nodded my head as Alaric asked, "What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" "He wouldn't. And even if he did I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid," Tyler said proudly causing Xander and I to giggle. His naïve faith was kind of adorable. "Okay, so what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?" "Again, he wouldn't." "What if he did?" Elena pressed, causing Tyler to stammer in confusion. "I don't know! Then I'd rip out my heart! You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand." Hearing Tyler's answer made me kind of sad. That's the way the sire bond works. Most people just couldn't understand. "You're right Tyler I don't understand. Klaus has terrorized every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him." Xander seemed to share my annoyed feeling towards Elena's rudeness, because he spoke up for the first time. "Elena, you're overthinking it. He isn't a slave. He can still make his own decisions." Everyone seemed to be shocked at Xander's outburst, because he's usually a really laid-back guy. But then again, he is my best friend ;) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Damon's POV Klaus and I had finished our first round of drinks, and now I was pouring our second. We held our glasses up to each other and he said, "Cheers mate!" "Down the hatch," I said, then we both drank from our glasses. When we both finished them, I placed my glass down and went to sit on the couch. "You know, we've actually got a lot in common you and I," Klaus said taking a seat on the opposite couch. "Really? Well, yeah. Maybe we can bond over our mutual loathing of my brother. Why are you so mad at him? He stole something?" "My family, the Originals," he said making my eyes widen in shock. God dammit, Stefan. "I had them daggered, boxed-up awaiting the day when I saw fit to wake them. And he went in and pinched the bloody lot." "Of course he did. Such a buzz kill, my baby bro. Well, I'd love to find him. Just the trouble is, I sure as hell don't work for you." Klaus smirked and leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on his knees. "You know, your drink stinks of vervain- so I can't compel you. There be no point in killing you because you're actually one of the people with the most hope of getting me what I need. And yet it would seem a demonstration is in order. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to find Stefan," he said standing up with a smirk. "Well, it seems you people respond best to displays of violence. Why don't you take this as an example of my reach," he said grabbing his phone from his pocket and making a call. "There he is! So, that thing I told you to do- why don't you go ahead and get on with it?" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gene's POV I watched in curiosity as Jeremy hung up his phone. I know Xander was as curious as I was, and like me, probably listened in on the call. What can I say? I'm nosy. But right now, I was wondering why Nik called baby Gilbert. "What was that about?" Elena asked curiously as we all waited for his answer. "It was nothing," he said shaking his head, as if trying to snap out of a daze. Oh no. "I got to go," Tyler said getting up from his seat. "Umm, thanks for the food offer, but..." "Next time," Ric said for Tyler. He nodded his head and walked out, but just before he left he sent me a sorry look. Great, I was right. "That was illuminating," Ric said raising his eyebrows with pursed lips. I shook my head at him with a small smile as Elena let out a relieved sigh. "So, Tyler Lockwood is a lunatic who has access to our house." "I mean this whole sire bond thing is... wild. I don't even think Tyler is fully aware of what little reason lies behind what he's saying. It's this weird cult logic," Ric said causing Xander and I to laugh hysterically. I guess that was one way of saying it. "Well, great, that's a wonderful influence for you Jer..." Elena said turning around, but Jeremy was gone. I immediately stood from my seat and listened throughout the house. He was gone. Looking down in frustration I saw Jeremy's protection ring lying on the table. "That's his ring," Ric said pointing to it as Elena walked toward the table and picked it up. "Where did he go?" she asked in confusion as I immediately walked to the front door. Jeremy was standing mindlessly in the middle of the street. "Jeremy? What is he doing?" Elena asked in confusion as she slowly walked to him. Suddenly, a car came speeding around the corner and was speeding towards Jeremy. Elena ran as fast as she could as I yelled Xander's name. He immediately grabbed Elena and Ric, keeping them in the safety of the house as I sped to Jeremy. "Oh my god! Jeremy!" "Jeremy!" "Jeremy move!" I stood in front of Jeremy, looking at him for a split second, already knowing he was compelled. Turning around, I saw Tony speeding forward, then immediately slamming on the breaks when he saw me standing there. The car continued to skid forward, tires screeching loudly as it slowly came to a stop an inch in front of me. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," I said shaking my finger at Tony with an evil smirk. Xander sped forward and grabbed Jeremy, taking him inside with everyone else as I handled the beloved hybrid lackey. Seeing the look on my face, he jumped out of the car and tried to run away in fear, but before he could get a foot away from the truck, I stood in front of him with crossed arms. "There you go again. Bumping into people," I said shaking my head as my witch face showed. He shook in fear, thinking I was going to hurt him. I let out a booming laugh as my power seeped into my tone, making it sound ominous. Taking two steps forward, I came face to chest with him. What can I say? I'm not the tallest person. "You are going to stay away from my friends. You are not going to harm anyone I care about. You will tell Nik that Alaric jumped in front of the truck, pushing Jeremy to safety and took the hit. And no matter what he compels you to do, you will check with me first. Got it?" He numbly nodded his head as I smiled in victory. "Now beat it." He immediately snapped out of the daze, got into his truck and drove off. Oh Niklaus. You'll be the death of me. Literally. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After the incident, I made sure everyone was okay then told Xander to meet me back at the Boarding House. I vamped straight to Nik's house and walked in seeing various construction men. Stepping into the mansion, all the sired hybrids immediately stopped and turned to me letting out low growls. "Where's Niklaus?" "What business do you have with him?" asked a bulky man. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, really not in the mood to deal with this. "Well, that would be between he and I, now wouldn't it?" "Well, then we're going to have to ask you to leave," he said taking a step closer to me. I smirked and let out a small giggle. How cute, he thought he could scare me. Without hesitation, I sped forward and ripped out his heart, holding it in my hand for all others to see. "It's in your best interest not to get in my way. Got it?" They all stood down as I let the pull in my body lead the way to Nik. I found him in a large room with a female hybrid and Tyler in tow. "Compel the men to open up this wall. We need sun. I want a fortress not a dungeon." I let out a silent giggle at his words as Klaus finally decided to pay attention to Tyler. "Here he is- man of the hour!" he yelled with a giant and beautiful smile on his face. "So everything went okay?" "Tony ran down Alaric instead of Jeremy, but apples, oranges- message lands the same." "You said you are sending them a warning," Tyler said with a shocked and worried face. Guess he didn't know, but I already thought as much. "And I did. An effective one! Elena's family suffers- she is motivated to get me what I want," I perked up hearing that. I guess I've missed a few things. "I didn't think that we actually have to kill anyone," Tyler said with a guilty face causing Nik to smirk. "Tyler, mate. What you are feeling is the remnant of a guilty conscience. I need you to get over it, okay? End of the day human life is just a means to an end. Our means to our end. You do well to remember that?" Finally, I stepped out with a disappointed face and shaking my head. Seeing me, the female hybrid began to growl. I was already annoyed as it is, so I snapped my fingers and she stood up straight, still and silent as a statue. "Genevieve," he said turning his smirk to me, knowing that I would not be happy with his evil little plan. "Can you two leave us alone?" I asked smiling at Tyler and the female hybrid. Tyler looked between Nik and I then nodded his head and turned to leave, while the female unfroze but remained next to her sire. Being the proud male, Nik stopped Tyler, "You leave when I say you leave." I glared at Nik, not liking his current personality very much. "Leave," I said again in a firmer tone and Tyler and the female hybrid quickly broke Nik's sire compulsion and left. That angered my beloved Niklaus. "You have been scheming again, Niklaus," I said walking over to the wall he wanted to have taken down. In a small hand gesture, I made the wall disappear, and the sun shined into the once dim room. "You know me, darling. I always have something on my agenda." "That's true," I said staring at the open wall then turning to him with a sad face. He let out a sigh and the anger and pride he had slightly faded. "Genevieve I'm sorry. I'm just desperate," he said grabbing my hand and pulling me into his chest. I lightly sighed as he placed my free hand on his shoulder, placed his on my waist, and slowly began to waltz. "How can I be angry at you when you do this?" I asked through soft giggles. In response, Nik pulled me closer and rested his head on my shoulder as we waltzed in silence. "Stefan stole the coffins," he mumbled quietly into my ear. Hearing that, I stopped dancing and pushed him away in shock and fear. "The coffins? Your family's coffins?" "Yes," he said with a sad and angry face. "I am just doing what I must to get them back," he said trying to pull me back into his arms. When he grabbed at my wrist I shook him off and began to pace. This couldn't happen. This shouldn't happen. After a minute of pacing and Nik watching, I stopped and turned to him. His anger and sadness faded when he saw all the fear in my eyes, and instinctively, he took a step closer to me. "Genevieve… are you scared?" "Who is in those coffins, Niklaus?" I asked with desperation. He watched me carefully for a moment then shook his head and turned to walk away from me. "Tell me!" I yelled to his back, causing the house to shake and him to turn to me in shock. "My brothers and…" he said quietly leaving off at the end. All of the fear in my body heightened at the pause. As it is I was scared at the chance of seeing Kol again. But if there was a possibility… I needed to know. "And?" I asked stepping closer to him and grabbing onto his hand. I squeezed it tightly, still hoping that Kol was the only thing I had to worry about. That was, until he said the one thing I didn't want to hear. "My mother." My body froze and my blood ran cold hearing those words. Stefan has her. The one woman that I feared more than anything else in this entire galaxy. At the thought of her returning, I collapsed to the floor and began to scream. I sobbed uncontrollably as Nik knelt to my side with the most worried eyes I've ever seen. "Genevieve," he said repeatedly, trying to get me to snap out of my craze, but it didn't work. Nothing could stop this bone-chilling fear I felt. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After I finally calmed down enough to stop crying, I ran straight to Elena's house. I bursted through the door, scaring everyone at my loud entrance. They all stopped and stared at me in surprise and Damon immediately jumped up and rushed to me with worried eyes. "Little love, what's wrong," he asked me with worried eyes. I fell into his arms, begging for my older brother's comfort as I began to cry again. Everyone watched with worried faces, not really sure what they should do. After a few minutes of crying, Damon picked me up and sat on the couch with me in his lap. Elena and Jeremy both came to his side and helped comfort me as I slowly, but surely, stopped. "Gene..." Damon said rubbing my head soothingly begging me to talk to him. Feeling Jeremy's and Elena's hands in mine, I let out a sigh and thought about what I should say. "Stefan has Nik's family..." I mumbled shakily. Everyone nodded their heads, already knowing this bit of information and waited for me to say more. "He can't open the coffins. He just can't..." I mumbled again. "Why not?" Jeremy asked quietly. "She's in there... She can't wake up... He can't wake her up..." I mumbled to myself. No one really understood what I was saying, but Xander, who I hadn't noticed before, immediately knelt in front of me. "Vivi, do you mean..." I nodded my head silently as his eyes widened in fear and he pulled me out of Damon's lap and into his own. "She won't find you. I won't let her get you," he whispered soothingly into my ear as I clutched onto him for dear life. "Who won't?" Damon asked leaning forward with a worried face. I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it and Xander patted Damon's shoulder in reassurance. I silently cried into Xander's chest, still clutching onto him when he got up and carried me to the door. "I'm going to get her to bed," he said to Damon then walked out. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Damon's POV When Xander left with Gene I jumped to my feet and began pacing. Gene was never scared. Not like this. She wasn't even this scared on the night she died. "Damon, has she ever acted like this before?" Elena asked with a worried face. "No. She's never been this scared before... It all leads back to those damned coffins." "We have to find Stefan. He stole the coffins full of dead originals, and Gene is freaked out about it. We can't let anyone open them." "Coffins?" Elena asked in shock, looking like she might already have a lead. "Yep! So all we have to do is find four coffins and- voila we hand them over to Klaus." "Wait- that's your big plan? To steal back four dead originals to please the evil hybrid?" Jeremy asked with an angry face. I stopped my pace and sat down on the couch as I let out a frustrated sigh. "You got a better idea?" "Yeah! Let's get the hell outta here! Pack our bags and go!" Elena snapped out of her daze and turned to Jeremy with a serious face and said, "Hey, Jeremy calm down." "No, no! I'm not gunna calm down, Elena! This happens every time, no matter what we do! Get on my case about school and work- who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive," he said storming out of the room. Elena and I remained silent in shock at his words, but in all honesty, they were somewhat right. We all stayed silent when Elena let out a loud sigh and sat down next to me on the couch. "Klaus said he wants his family back." I immediately stood up in shock. What the hell is she thinking? "No! No! I know what you're thinking- the answer is no!" "If we give him Rebekah..." "Yeah, then Klaus undaggers her, first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire- not an option!" I yelled as Ric nodded his head in agreement. Elena stayed silent after that and seemed to be having a revelation. She turned to me again, eyes wide in shock and asked, "Klaus' coffins... How many did you say they were?" "Four, why?" When I told her, she immediately grabbed for her phone and called someone. As the phone rang, she paced impatiently through the living room. "Elena, hey!" I heard Bonnie say from the other line of the phone. "Klaus is looking for four coffins, just like in your dream. Guessing it's not just stress?" "Elena, don't get involved. Whatever Klaus wants, stay as far away from it as you can!" Witchy girl is telling Elena to stay out of it. What gives? "Klaus won't let me. Bonnie, he tried to kill Jeremy." At that, Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh and mumbled, "What do you want me to do?" "We need to find Stefan. Look, I know that you don't think that your locator spell still works, but we have to at least try." "You don't need a locator spell..." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gene's POV When Xander took me back to the Boarding House he put me in my bed and got me a blood bag and some bourbon. We cuddled in silence as he lightly rubbed my back soothingly. I was just about to doze off when I got a text from Damon saying 'Going to witch house.' Xander gave me a sad smile then nodded his head in understanding as I rushed to put on my shoes and went straight there. When I arrived, I saw Damon and Elena walking up to the doorstep. "I thought Bonnie said this place lost all it's mojo." "The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life," I said walking up next to my brother and grabbing his hand. He didn't say anything, probably a bit upset because Xander knew why I was crying and he didn't, but he still clutched onto my hand. "I guess now they have something they want her to know," Elena added giving me a small smile. "I hate witches. So fickle... Passive aggressive..." he said causing me to stop and glare holes in his head, putting my hands on my hips. He gave me a teasing smile then shrugged his shoulders and pulled me close to his side with an arm around my shoulder. Elena immediately started laughing as I rolled my eyes and we all walked into the witch house. "Stefan?" "Come on, Stef. Olly, Olly, Oxen free," Damon said making me giggle lightly. My brother is such a dork. As soon as we entered a small ray of sunshine Damon froze in place and his skin started to sizzle. "Ahh Ow ugh," he yelled in pain as I stomped my foot. "Leave him alone!" As soon as I said that, he unfroze and rushed into a shaded corner of the house. "Really?! Still?!" "What?" Elena asked shocked at what had happened. I crossed my arms in anger as Damon explained to her. "Witchy spirits aren't a big fan. And they use their juju to screw with my daylight ring!" "Then wait outside," she suggested and shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. Which, I guess if you think about it, it wasn't. "Elena!" "I'm not leaving until I know if he's here." "It's fine, Day. I'll stay with her." Damon let out a frustrated sigh and hesitantly nodded his head then sped out of the house as Elena and I continued inside. "Steffie?" I yelled into the house and my older brother instantly appeared in front of me. "You shouldn't be here," he said worriedly as he pulled me into a hug. "Steffie, do you have the coffins?" I asked quietly and squeezing my eyes shut tight. "Bonnie said that you would be here." Stefan let out an airy chuckle, shaking his head, as he said, "Well, Bonnie sucks at keeping secrets." "Listen, you need to give Klaus his family back," Elena said causing my eyes to widen in shock. "No! You have to get rid of them. They can't be awakened," I said grabbing onto his shirt and looked at him with scared eyes. "Gene?" Elena and Stefan both said in a shocked tone. "But Klaus compelled Jeremy to stand in front of a speeding car. Don't you get it? He's not gonna stop until he gets what he wants," she said trying to convince me and sounding somewhat appalled that I didn't want to hand them over. "I'm not giving Klaus anything." "Are you listening to me? He's gonna kill Jeremy!" She said to us and getting closer to yelling. "Elena listen to me..." I said, about to explain that I wouldn't let anything bad happen, but Stefan interrupted me playing his 'heartless' role. "Not really my problem." At that, Elena and I both stared at him in shock with wide eyes and our mouths hanging open. Elena clenched her fists then quickly ran forward and slapped him across the face. Can't say he didn't deserve that... "You can go to hell!" She yelled in his face, then stormed out of the house. I watched her leave and let out a sigh. Oh my brother. I turned to look at him and saw that he was standing still as a stone with a look of regret painted over his face. "Steffie, she'll forgive you. You know she will," I said then gave him a hug. He buried his head in my neck and squeezed me tightly as he let out a frustrated sigh just when we heard Damon say he'd come talk to Stefan. When Stefan heard, he vamped down to the cellar as I waited for Damon. "Please don't hurt him. I promise he'll behave," I whispered to the witches. They all began to whisper frantically as Damon entered the house. Thinking he was still going to be burned inside the house, he vamped straight into a shadowy corner. "They won't hurt you anymore Day," I said holding my hand out to him. He was hesitant at first, but he reluctantly put his hand in a patch of sun. It didn't burn him, so he smiled and walked over to me, grabbing my hand and leading me down to the basement. When we walked down, I saw Stefan sitting on top of a coffin that gave off a magical aura. I immediately knew that was Esther's and refused to move any closer to it. "Wow! That was impressive. But the coffins aren't here, so... You can go away now." "Liar," I mumbled to myself. Damon didn't really hear me, but Stefan sent me a pleading face, hoping I wouldn't tell Damon. "I don't care about the coffins. We need to talk." "Okay, lets talk." "Nothing's ever easy with you two, is it?" Damon yelled, grabbing Stefan and rushing up the stairs to throw him outside of the house. When I followed I saw that Stefan was lying on the floor clutching his stomach as Damon broke off a branch from a tree to stab him. I quickly vamped forward and threw him against a tree holding him back. "Damon, what the hell?!" "Why would you steal his family! Why? Doesn't make sense! Answer me!" He yelled to Stefan while trying to fight my hold, but I'm stronger than him. "Piece by piece Klaus took everything from us. I'm doing the same to him," Stefan said slowly getting up from the floor. "None of this would matter if we had just killed him!" Damon yelled in frustration and pulling away from me. Hearing the anger in his voice, I stood silently and watched as he kicked down a tree. After that, he turned to me with his anger and stomped towards me, grabbing my arm roughly and forcing me to look at him. "Why did you screw it up?!" "Damon, leave her alone. Gene had her reasons. Even if it's just love, who are we to judge her? She accepted us even when we forgot about her for Katherine!" Stefan yelled, pushing Damon away from me and putting me behind him. "I did it to save you," I mumbled shakily as tears filled my eyes. "What? No. No way! You didn't do this for me," he said stomping toward us. I nodded my head as the tears fell from my eyes and Stefan pushed Damon back. "Calm down! This is Gene, we're talking about! Of course she would have done it for you." "If Nik died, his hybrids would have killed you." Damon let out a final sigh and it seemed most of his anger had left, but he still seemed irritated. "I want you to get it through your head. I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to protect you!" He shouted then quickly left Stefan and I alone in the woods. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Do you know what I can´t figure out? Why take his family." Damon asked as we all walked back into the witch house after they cooled off. But when he stepped foot into the sunshine inside the house, he got burned again. "The witches revoked your access because you hurt Gene," Stefan said with crossed arms as he glared at Damon from inside. Damon let out a sigh and nodded his head, knowing the witches were right in punishing him, then looked at me with sorry eyes. Although he was sorry, I was still hurt by what he did and just hid behind Stefan with my head leaning against his back. "Do you have somewhere you need to be Damon?" "Reflection. That's not gonna work on me! I invented that." "We're done. Can't you just go away?" "Not until you tell me why you kidnapped Klaus' family. You owe me that," Damon said in frustration causing Stefan to let out a booming laugh. "I don't owe you anything," Stefan said pulling up a chair, sitting down and pulling me into his lap. "Come on Stefan. Just tell me why you took them." Stefan let out a sigh and gave me a quick squeeze before he answered. "Because Klaus' family is one weakness I can use against him." "Use against him to do what? You're not gonna kill him, you know how I know? 'Cause there was only one way to kill him and someone blew that to save him," Damon said in an irritated tone causing me to groan. "I did it to save your life you big baby! Can't you just say 'Thank you' and move on?!" I shouted from Stefan's lap and glaring daggers at Damon. "You're wrong Damon. Klaus doesn't just get to live forever. There's another way. There has to be!" "Fair enough. But whatever you're doing I want in." "I don't need your help." "Really? Last time I checked you're hiding in a haunted house," Damon said smirking at us, causing me to roll my eyes at him. "I'm in this alone Damon." "If you go after Klaus you have to be cutthroat and devious. I'm so much better at that than you. Come on brother. What do you say? If Gene's gunna keep saving my life at least make it for a good reason." After a moment of thinking it over, Stefan let out a sigh and nodded his head. "You want in?" He asked standing up and placing me gently on my feet. "Yeah." "Okay. But it's just us. Elena stays out of it." "Deal," Damon said nodding his head with a smirk as Stefan gestured for him to follow us deeper inside. "Follow me." "Wait. I'm not so… welcome in there," Damon said hesitantly while pointing into the house. "Don't you worry Damon. We all want the same thing." Damon walked in slowly and tried to avoid the sunlight, but when he did, nothing happened. Instead, the witches began to murmur to themselves. When we walked down to the basement I still saw the four coffins, but Damon didn't seem to. "Have a look," Stefan said gesturing to the 'empty' room. "What? Klaus is allergic to dust?" "Hm... Look again." He rolled his eyes, thinking there was going to be nothing there, but when he looked his eyes widened in shock. "Witch spirits hate Klaus as much as we do. They're using their powers to hide the coffins." Damon nodded his head, pleased at the trick the witch house was playing and said, "So even if he comes in the house..." "...he won't be able to find them." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Elena's POV I sat in the boarding house living room alone as I waited for Klaus to show up. Everyone thinks this is a crazy idea, but if it helps keep Jeremy safe, then who cares? I sat wrapped up in my thoughts when I heard a loud knock on the door. I flinched a bit at the sound, since it was so quiet in the mansion, then let out a deep sigh. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I thought to myself as I got up and walked to the front door. When I opened it I saw the man that single-handedly ruined my life standing with a giant smirk on his face. "Thank you for coming," I said as I stepped aside and let him enter. "I trust you have news of Stefan." "I couldn't find him. But I have something else." He turned to me with raised eyebrows as I pursed my lips in nervousness and led the way to the basement. When we came to her cell I looked at Klaus kind of awkwardly and opened the door. There she was lying on the floor of the cell with a dagger embedded in her back. "My poor sister," he said letting out a loud sigh and walking towards her. "I can't turn my back on her for a moment." "You have Rebekah. A deal is a deal," I said crossing my arms and giving him a serious face. He turned to me with a smirk and nodded his head, understanding the bargain I was making. "The life of my sister in exchange for your brother? Yeah I'd say that's a bargain. Consider him spared." "You should know I was the one that daggered her. When she wakes she'll come after me." At that, Klaus let out a booming laugh and shook his head as if what I had said was pointless. "I can control Rebekah. Besides I still need your help finding Stefan." "I told you I don't know where he is," I said as he bent down next to Rebekah and pulled out the dagger from her back. "You're lying. Fortunately you have no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family the question you should be asking yourself is who's gonna die next! Bonnie? Caroline? Damon? It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want." Letting out an airy chuckle, I shook my head at him. Guess he doesn't understand the situation. "He doesn't care. He's doing this on his own and he doesn't care about the consequences. Now he's your problem. And just so you know I'm not the only one that Rebekah wants dead. She knows what you did to your mother. She knows that you killed her." When I said that, his body became rigid and he seemed a bit shocked and sad, but I knew he was mainly angry. "You can let yourself out." I then walked out of the cell and up the stairs to the front door. Not even bothering to look back. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gene's POV I walked into the Gilbert House and saw Elena and Alaric sitting on the couch with distraught faces. "Hey guys, I got your message. What's up?" I asked as I went to sit on the chair across from them both. "Gene… can you compel Jeremy to leave Mystic Falls?" Hearing Ric ask me that question my mouth dropped. I didn't know what to say to them. This was Jeremy that they were talking about. And compelling him to leave? I looked at Elena with wide eyes and saw that she had tears in her own. "Elena?" When she heard my quiet and confused tone she looked up at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. "Gene, he needs to get away from here. He hates having to live this crazy life, and I hate that he does. He deserves a normal life away from all of this where he can't get hurt." I thought about it for a moment and decided she was right, so I agreed. We all made our way up the stairs as Elena and Ric knocked on the door. "Hey, can we talk?" Elena asked as she slowly opened the door. "Ahh - what did I do now?" We all sort of laughed at what he said and Elena shook her head. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About how we should pack up and go…" "Elena, I didn't mean any of that," he said dismissing her worries, but she shook her head and continued talking. "But you were right. You shouldn't have to give up a normal life - just because of me." "What's going on?" he asked with a worried face, and I walked forward and sat on the bed with him. "Your sister thinks we should have a talk," I said patting his arm lightly and giving him a sad smile. Elena's eyes began to tear over as her and Alaric held each other's hands and I began to compel Jeremy. "Here's the thing, Jer. You're gonna go out of town for a while - a long while. You're gonna stay with some nice family friends in Denver, you're gonna be at a new school, you'll meet new girls, living girls. You're going to drink a few beers, take an art class. You do whatever you want." "Tell him he's gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it," Ric said as his eyes started to water too. I looked at them both sadly and Elena nodded her head, encouraging me to do it. "You're gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it. You're gonna have a better life, Jeremy," I said as my voice cracked slightly. Jeremy is one of my best friends. But if this was what was best, then I would do it. For him. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Xander's POV Vivi had texted me saying she was going to stop by Elena's house before coming to the Boarding House, so I decided I'd pay Stefan a visit. Vivi tells me everything and since we're connected, because she created me, I am able to tap into her memories and find the location of this alleged "witch house." I had wandered through the woods for half an hour, letting her memories guide me, when I finally found it. Looking at it, I could imagine just how beautiful it was in its time. I listened to my surroundings to check if there was anyone here, and heard a voice, which Vivi's memories told me, was Bonnie Bennett. "This is the one I dreamt about." Guess they were in the basement with the coffins. Although I wasn't a witch, being connected to Vivi allowed me to sense more than most. I could feel Esther's power from here, and it was terrifying. Taking in a deep breath, I walked into the witch house and stayed inside the foyer, as in asking permission to enter. I heard the witches whispering around me in a frenzy as I patiently waited. After a minute of frenzied and incomprehensible whispering, it all suddenly stopped and all that was heard was silence. "Enter," a low raspy voice said to me as I bowed my head slightly in thanks. When I finally made it to the basement Stefan and Bonnie weren't to be seen. "I know you're here," I said as I walked into the room and ran my finger over the smooth wood. "I'm a friend of Genevieve's." At the mention of Vivi, Stefan stepped out of a closet and looked at me with a serious and hesitant face. "How do you know Gene?" he asked as he crossed his arms and Bonnie Bennett stepped out as well, standing behind him slightly. "She's my sire," I said with a friendly smile, but he didn't seem convinced. "You're not a vampire, though." "No, I'm not," I said with a chuckle as I gave the small girl a look-over. She was attractive. "I'm a werewolf. Vivi and I trained together for five years. She cast a spell on me so that I have all the perks of being a hybrid, minus being half vampire. Name's Alessandro, but call me Xander," I said outstretching my hand to him for a shake. He nodded his head and shook my hand, seeming to warm up to me slightly. "That casket," I said pointing to the one that was elevated onto a table, "no matter what happens, it cannot be opened." "Wait, why not?" Bonnie asked, speaking up for the first time. I turned to her with a smile and looked at her. Her face was filled with shock and confusion, but had a hint of anger. "It seems you aren't that skilled of a witch," I said with a smirk and laughed at the anger that filled both of their faces. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked stomping over to me with a hard glare as I laughed at her defensive attitude. "Well first of all, you couldn't sense that I was marked. I mean, I'm basically emanating Vivi's magic. Secondly, that coffin..." I said looking over at it grimmly. I stared for a moment, taking in the strong magic it displaced, then shivered slightly. It was a bit intimidating, and I couldn't even imagine how it would be if she was awakened. "That coffin emanates strong magic… Vivi is my sire. It's in her best interest that coffin isn't opened, so I intend to make sure that doesn't happen." Stefan gave me a questioning look as Bonnie stared at me skeptically. "Why doesn't she want it opened?" "I can't tell you that, but rest assured it's a good reason." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Damon's POV I stood outside on the front porch as I listened to Gene compel Jeremy. Elena was doing what was right, but this was going to be hard on her. When they finished I heard Elena running down the stairs and come outside. She was shocked when she saw me leaning against one of the pillars and gave me a sad smile before going to sit on the bench. "I feel like a horrible person," she said letting out a deep sigh. "You just saved his life, Elena. Take it from me, strange is bad, dead is worse," I said with a teasing smirk and hoping she would light up a bit. "I just can't stop thinking about what happened the last time I asked someone to compel him." Oh this again, I thought as I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bench next to her. "He found out. And he got over it. Again: not dead, Elena! He's so lucky to have you for his sister." "Thank you," she said letting out a light chuckle and shaking her head. "No problem." It was silent for a moment when Elena whispered out, "Not just for this, Damon. For everything lately… I don't know what I would be doing if you weren't here." I looked up from the floor in shock and gave her a surprised smile. Hearing her say these things to me, I felt a bit guilty for my baby brother. He was playing the martyr again to get rid of Klaus and here I was with Elena. I took in a deep breath, "You should know something, Elena. Stefan isn't screwing us over. He screwed us over, but he has a good reason." "What?" "He stole the coffins to get Klaus away from Gene and away from here." "What? Damon, if he did it to protect us then... Why would he even do that? What does it even mean?" she asked with a confused face. "What does it even mean? It means I'm an idiot. Because I thought for one second that I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore," I said standing up from my seat and beginning to pace. "What? What are you talking about? Guilty for what?" she asked with furrowed brows as she stood up as well. I mean, of course she was confused. She will never open her eyes and see how I feel for her. No matter how obvious it is. "For wanting what I want," I said not looking at her. It seemed to have dawned on her, because her face immediately fell to a sad worry. "Damon…" "I know. Believe me, I get it… Brother's girl and all," I said to her then turned to walk down the porch and to the Boarding House. I was halfway down the stairs when I stopped and turned to her with a frustrated and slightly angry face. "No! No, you know what? If I'm gonna feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this," I said stepping in front of her and pulling her face to mine. We kissed for a few seconds as I felt the world around us disappear. Just feeling her lips on mine sent away all the sadness and anger I was feeling. I pulled away from her lips and looked into her eyes for a second then whispered out, "Good night," and sped away. 


	13. Chapter 12 - Happy Birthday Caroline

Guys I am _SOOO_ sorry lol I had no idea everything was like squished into like one long, continuous paragraph.

Well, I fixed it! Hope you like this chappy :) I really did like writing it lol x

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><p>Gene's POV<p>

I sat on Xander's bed as he showered in his attached bathroom. After a few minutes of boredly waiting, I walked into his closet and picked out clothes for him. When he finally came out with a towel around his waist and saw the clothes waiting for him on his bed he laughed at me and shook his head. "Always the impatient one, I see," he said as I laid back on his bed and he got dressed. Yes, in front of me. You might think it's weird, but not to us. We are best friends and have seen each other naked and showered and slept together. Nothing sexual. That's how we are. Once he was finally dressed, we walked down the hallway and to the living room to wait for my brothers. We were supposed to meet Bonnie at the Witch House in ten minutes and Damon wasn't ready yet. I hate being late! A few minutes later Damon and Stefan both came down and we left, but halfway there I felt lazy and made Xander carry me, which he didn't mind. When we got there I heard Bonnie casting a spell to try and open the coffin, then yelling in frustration. Pfft! Like it would be that easy.

All of a sudden I felt the presence of someone that was not invited to the party, and so did Xander and Damon. Stefan looked at us all in confusion because he wasn't exactly paying attention. "What?" he asked as Damon sped into the house and to Bonnie. Then, a hybrid walked out of the house and smirked when he saw all of us. Thinking he could take all of us, he showed his hybrid face, so I decided to show mine. He immediately froze and his face went back to normal as I smirked. Damon then appeared behind him and ripped out the hybrid's heart then threw it on the floor. "These hybrids, really bringing the neighborhood down," he said causing all of us to roll our eyes at him as he smirked.

After dealing with my brothers and the coffin, Bonnie and I both rushed to school and walked in to find Elena decorating Caroline's locker. "Hey, sorry we're late, we umm… got held up," Bonnie said with a sorry smile. Elena turned to us and shook her head with a smile, and it seemed something was on her mind. "It's okay. I just got here too. Can you pass me the balloons?" she asked me while gesturing to the floor next to me. I nodded my head and bent to pick them up and handed them to her. Thank God I already got Caroline her present. "Thanks. What got you running late?" "We were working on some spells. We just lost track of time. What about you?" I said covering for Bonnie who gave me a thankful look. "Working out with Alaric. So, I have something I need to tell you, and you're not gonna like it," she said to Bonnie then glanced my way. I immediately knew what she was going to say, so I excused myself and began to walk around the school when I saw Tyler sitting outside alone.

When I sat down next to him on the bench he turned to me with a surprised face and then relaxed when he saw it was me. "Jumpy, aren't we?" I asked while giving him a teasing shove. He laughed for a second then slowly his face fell and I could see sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked turning sideways on the bench so that I was facing him. He stared down at the floor silently, then quickly turned and sat facing me. "Caroline told me that we can't be together because of my sire bond." I immediately felt bad for him. Poor Tyler didn't have a choice, yet he was the bad guy. "I'm sorry Ty," I said as he turned again to face the parking lot. I sat at his side, interlocking our arms and rubbing it comfortingly as he looked down at the floor sadly. "I just wish there was a way to break it, you know?" I nodded my head in understanding as I listened to him vent.

Five minutes later, Caroline drove into the parking lot and Tyler immediately perked up then slouched when he remembered they weren't together anymore. I chuckled lightly at his actions then patted his shoulder and gestured for him to go talk to her. He looked at me questioningly, not sure if he should do it, but I nodded my head and he immediately jumped up to talk to her. "I can't talk to you," she said when she saw him and tried to walk away, but Tyler stepped in front of her. "I know you're upset but…" "Upset? You almost got Jeremy killed!" she yelled turning to him with angry eyes. "And before you ask me to understand, or to support you, can you at least tell me what you're planning to do about your sire-bond to Klaus?" Tyler stood silently for a moment and I saw the hope leave his eyes. He then shook his head and said (RHYMED), "There is nothing that I can do about it, Caroline! That's the point. I just wanted you to know that I understand why you can't be with me. Even though I want to put you first, before anyone, I can't. I'll never be able to. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that." When Tyler said that, Caroline's angry face fell and I could see the sadness and love in her eyes. They really should be together, I thought to myself. "I'm sorry too."

Tyler nodded his head and pulled out a small drawstring bag from his pocket and handed it to her with a sad smile. "Happy birthday," he said as he walked away from her and waved bye to me. I waved back at him with a sad smile then turned to see Caroline holding a charm bracelet in her hand. It was a nice silver with her initials, a football helmet, and a cheerleader's megaphone on it. Aw, how cute, I thought as she held it in her hand with watery eyes. She put it on and stood admiring it for a moment, then wiped her eyes and walked back into her car and drove away.

Stefan's POV

After what happened at the witch house, I think Klaus needs to get rid of his hybrid army. They were too wild and could easily harm people. So here I was walking to his mansion to tell him to get rid of them. When I walked in Klaus was walking towards me with open arms and a giant smirk on his face. "Stefan, what a surprise. After kidnapping my family I would have thought you would have skipped town." "I live here, Klaus," I said with a blank face, causing him to let out a loud chuckle. "Well, if we're playing this game, then... I was here first." I let out a sigh as I walked past him and looked around his house. "You know, I don't like your hybrid friends. They're everywhere, kind of like flies. I want them gone." "Yeah, well I kind of like having them around. You know, I'm hurt. I hoped that when you remembered everything that we'd pick up where we left off. But here you are, guzzling vervain like the rest of them, I'm sure. So much for friendship." "Friends don't do all the things you've done," I said turning to him with a glare.

He held up his hands in surrender and nodded his head then began to walk into what seemed like a study. "Okay, granted, I was a little extreme, but I get a little moody. Just ask my siblings. Speaking of whom, isn't it time you handed them over?" he asked with a joking tone, but you could see the seriousness and anger in his eyes. "Klaus, get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls or I will remove them myself. Heck, I know Gene wouldn't mind getting rid of them for me," I said with a teasing smirk. He glared at me and stood silently as his anger increased to a forced calm. "You see, if you continue to threaten me, I'm gonna be forced to retaliate. Kill people. And it will get messy again." "Do whatever you want, I don't really care. Or you know what? Maybe I do. Maybe I care so much, that I'll drop Elijah in the Arctic," I said teasingly again and I could see his jaw tighten. He was reaching his breaking point, but I was nowhere near mine.

"Well, maybe I'll be willing to lose one brother if it meant killing yours," he said with a fake smile as I nodded my head with a pensive face. "Try me, let's find out," I said shrugging my shoulders as one of his hybrids walked in. "Is everything okay?" she asked Klaus while glaring hard at me. I smirked at her, daring her to make a move as Klaus shook his head dismissively. "Everything is fine, Mindy. Stefan was just leaving after failing to make his point." I stood watching them both for a moment then sped over to Mindy and cut her head clean off with my hand to show Klaus I meant business. "Well, one down. You may want to send the rest of them away before it gets messy, again," I said to him as I wiped my hand, then walked out of his mansion with a smirk on my face.

Gene's POV

Matt, Elena, Bonnie, Xander and I all sat silently behind Caroline's couch as we waited for her to walk in. Finally, we heard her keys opening the door. She walked in and put her stuff down then we all jumped up, scaring the crap out of her, and screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" We were all wearing party hats, there were balloons everywhere and Matt and Xander were holding up a giant sign. Caroline squealed in shock and had a sad smile on her face, like she almost forgot it was her birthday. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked looking at all of us. Elena smiled at her and said, "Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art, so…" "Change into warmer clothes, we are going to the Falls. S'mores, camp fire.." "Cake!" Xander and I said excitedly and Matt added, "And tequila!"

Caroline looked at us all thankfully then shook her head at us. "Thanks, guys. Really, I'm just not feeling my birthday this year." When she said that my mouth fell and I just stared at her in shock. "I'm sorry, what?" Bonnie asked with a confused face as I said, "Care, I haven't even been here for a year (RHYMED) and you already claimed your birthday as my favorite day of the year." Caroline and everyone else let out a giggle at my words, then Caroline said, "Yeah, and now, it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead." I rolled my eyes at her words as everyone else just kinda let out a sigh. "Look, I didn't even like 17. And the only point to being 17 is to get to 18. It's a filler year; I'm stuck in a filler year." "You're not stuck, Caroline," Elena said while shaking her head. "Hey! At least you made it to 17! I got stuck at 16!" I shouted while crossing my arms and pouted silently. "Yeah, I am stuck, but it's okay. You know, it's all good, I'll be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it." "Okay, well I think I have another idea," Elena said with a huge smile on her face, causing all of us to look at her questioningly.

Damon's POV

I walked down the street with Alaric to a Town Council meeting as I filled him in on what Stefan was up to. "I thought Gene saved your life." "She did," I said while nodding my head. "And now Stefan is willing to risk it just to see how far he can push Klaus?" he asked with a confused face. "It seems so." "So did he turn his humanity off or is it still on?" "I think there is another option at play, a dimmer switch, which is a huge problem," I said running my hand through my hair. "Why?" "Because I can't predict how far he is willing to go until someone gets killed." "So, suddenly you care who lives or dies?" At that, I smirked and nodded my head slightly, "I have a small list." "Talk about a humanity dimmer switch," he said with a smug face. "Screw you!" I yelled smacking his arm a bit as we walked into the party being held. "Can't a Council meeting ever just be a Council meeting?" he asked as he looked around the party at all the people here socializing as I shrugged my shoulders.

Gene's POV

So Elena's big idea was getting drunk in my family crypt? That's a bit weird, I thought to myself. "This is creepy, even for us," Bonnie said with a slightly grossed out face as we entered. "No, Caroline was right... technically, she's dead," she said bluntly causing Caroline to look a bit taken aback. "Sorry. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life, so that you can move on with your new one," Elena continued making all of us feel a bit better about the weird situation. "Hope you don't mind the location, Gene," she said to me. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders, not really caring since I didn't know most of these people, or I didn't give a shit about them. "Okay," Caroline said nodding her head then taking in a deep breath. "Here lies Caroline Forbes-" she began as everyone added in for her. "-Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion…" Elena said sticking a candle into Caroline's cake for each description she said. "...friend, daughter, overachiever…" Bonnie said doing the same thing. "...Mean girl, sometimes, no offense." Matt said with a teasing smile. "Ah, none taken," Caroline said letting out a small giggle.

"She was 17, and she had a really good life. So rest in peace, so that she can move forward," I said with a giant smile on my face. This is nice. "That's what you really need. What we all really need," Elena said sadly as we all stayed silent for a moment. "Amen, or cheers or whatever. Bonnie?" Elena said gesturing to Bonnie, who lit the candles on the cake with her magic. "Nice! Okay, make a wish." I helped Elena grab the cake and we held it out in front of Caroline. She closed her eyes and stayed silent for a moment, thinking about her wish, then blew out the candles.

Damon's POV

Alaric and I were standing awkwardly to ourselves as we looked over the Wickory Bridge Restoration Project plans. "That's the bridge where Elena and Jeremy's parents died in the car accident," I said and he nodded his head numbly in thought. "Something is up with her. Elena. Something more than usual. You know what it is?" he asked me with a confused face. I shrugged my shoulders, pretending I didn't know what was wrong. "Well I'm sure it starts with a 'Stef' and ends with an 'an'. I'm gonna get a drink, write a check and then we're out?" Ric nodded his head and I turned to leave and walked through the party.

When I walked to the drinks I got myself some scotch and turned to walk back to Ric when I saw a familiar hybrid douche. "Look at what the cat dragged in," I said with a smirk as I walked over to him and Carol. "Nice vest," I added in a teasing tone, causing him to chuckle lightly. "Thank you very much, good to see you, Damon. Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor," he said putting a light hand on Carol's shoulder in a friendly manner. "What do you say Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation," she said with a giant smile. Why was she smiling? I don't understand this situation. "Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?" I asked with a confused face. "Oh, come now. Some would say that I saved him from all that nasty full moon business. I've never had to go through it myself more than twice, to be honest, but still, I'm very sympathetic."

Carol let out a sigh and gave me a serious face before saying, "Klaus has promised to protect Tyler, Damon. And our town." "From who? His hybrids are the ones the town needs protection from." "Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family," Klaus added in with a smirk on his face as Carol nodded her head in agreement. "Not gonna happen." "That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the Mayor. You and the Council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends." I stared incredibly at them both as I registered what he said. "Please Damon, just get your brother under control, or the Council will be forced to take action against him." "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Gene's POV

We were all eating Caroline's birthday cake as we talked about random nothingness. Matt was about to grab the tequila bottle from Bonnie, but Elena snatched it first. "Ah-ah. I need it more than you do, trust me," she said with an overwhelmed face as I laughed. "Caroline, what are you doing?" Xander asked causing all of us to look over at her. She had her phone in her lap and was 'acting normal'. "What? Nothing," she said playing innocent. "Okay, you're a bad sober liar; you're an even worse drunk liar," Elena said causing all of us to laugh at Caroline. She stayed silent for a moment, messing with her phone then looked up at us hesitantly. "I might have texted Tyler."

"Caroline…" Elena said warningly, "What? I'm delicate." I immediately burst into laughter at her words as Bonnie shouted, "Give her a break! You can't control what everyone does all the time." "Wow." "Ouch, Bon," Elena and Matt said as Xander and I sat quietly as to not get involved. "Sorry, I know it's Caroline birthday, funeral or whatever but, I just feel it's really wrong that you asked Gene to compel Jeremy to leave town." "I'm doing it to protect him, Bonnie. I want to give him a chance to have a quiet normal life," Elena said defending herself as we all sat in silence. "He should be able to choose how he wants to live it, you're taking his choices away," she shouted as I raised my hand to say something. Bonnie looked over at me and the hostility in her eyes immediately left as she tried not to laugh at my innocent gesture. "Yes, Gene?" "Not to take sides, or anything, but Jeremy was the one to propose leaving town," I said innocently. Bonnie's smile faded as she sat sadly in silence.

"Bonnie, you can't tell him," Elena added in a pleading tone, but Bonnie snapped. "Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?" "You know, you guys are ruining a perfect funeral," Matt said causing me to giggle at the weird statement. Bonnie nodded her head with a sorry smile and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go sleep it off or something." She then stood up to leave as I gave Xander a look. He nodded his head, knowing what I meant, and stood up to leave with her. "Happy birthday," they both said to Caroline then left together.

Stefan's POV

I walked around the Council fundraiser party as I watched one of Klaus' hybrids walk towards the stairs of the Lockwood mansion. I discreetly grabbed a long knife off the food table when the hybrid walked upstairs and into a room. He was about to close the doors when I sped through right before he did so. When he turned around, I stabbed him in the stomach. I was pulling the hybrid's head backwards, putting the knife to his throat and about to cut his head off, when Damon stopped me. He sped at me and pushed me against the wall, causing the knife and the hybrid to fall to the floor. "What are you doing?" I asked, trying to fight him off, but he held me tightly. "What are you doing? No dead hybrids at the Founders' party!" he yelled in my face causing me to growl lightly.

"No, I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town, he didn't listen, so I'm gonna say it louder." "You don't think there's ten more where that came from?" he asked while squeezing my throat tightly. "What makes you think that if you kill them, Klaus won't make 20 more? Have you forgotten about Elena's part in all of this? Or do you not care if she is a human blood bag for the rest of her life?" "Protecting Elena is your problem now," I said to my own dismay, but Damon wasn't pleased. "Don't give me that no-humanity crap, you can't just flip your switch! Your switch is fried, Stefan, just like your brain! You want to take Klaus? You want to beat the villain? You've got to be smarter." I chuckled airily at what he said as I pushed him off of me with all my strength. He stumbled backward and fixed his jacket as I rubbed my sore throat. "To beat the villain, Damon, you have to be the better villain." I stepped towards him to walk towards the door and clapped him on the shoulder and left.

Gene's POV

We all sat drinking shots of tequila when Tyler walked in with an awkward and hesitant smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to crash the party," he said as I smiled at him and gestured for him to enter. Holding a slight grudge, Matt gave him a disapproving face and said, "So, don't." "No, it's-it's okay," Caroline said calming Matt, then turning to Tyler in a drunken happiness, "Hi." "Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important" Caroline nodded her head and walked out of the crypt with Tyler as we all watched with content smiles, or disapproving stares. "Are you okay?" I asked Matt as I took the bottle of tequila from him and drank a swig. Matt let out a sigh and weakly nodded his head, "Yeah, I want her to be happy, you know? It's what I want for all of you guys, in the middle of this crazy life you got stuck living." "Is that how you see it? That we're stuck?" I asked Matt as I gave the tequila bottle to Elena who took a swig. "I'd say it's attached itself to you all pretty tight, yeah," he said nodding his head with a sad smile.

After Caroline was gone for a while, Matt and Elena decided to go look for her, so I decided to join, just in case. "Caroline!" Matt yelled as we all tried not to trip over various tree roots, bushes, and our feet. "Great, we've been abandoned. Okay, we're going on a search party, I don't trust that she won't get back together with him," Elena said causing me to roll my eyes. Was it such a bad idea? I cupped my hands around my mouth to project my voice and yelled, "Caroline!" Still, we couldn't hear a thing. "Come on, Caroline we don't have anymore drinks! Matt's being haunted by the Fell ghosts," Elena said playfully while nudging Matt's shoulder. Matt laughed a bit and nudged her back when suddenly he was knocked out.

I looked around confusedly when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Looking down, I saw that I was covered in blood and a wooden stake was lodged through my heart. Seeing the stake, and forgetting that it wouldn't kill me, Elena immediately ran over to me and pulled me into her arms. "Gene, no Gene please don't die," she cried as I groaned in pain and choked on my own blood. As she continued to cry, Stefan came out of the shadows with a sad face. "I'm sorry, baby girl. It's all part of the plan," he said then put his hand over Elena's mouth and grabbed onto my waist then sped off.

I slowly woke up from my temporary death and let out a low groan. There was still a sharp pain in my chest, which meant Stefan hadn't removed the stake. And since I haven't had any blood in 24 hours, I was as weak as a human. I opened my eyes and saw that we were in my car, Stefan driving, with Elena next to him. "What are you doing, Stefan?" I heard her say, but I was so weak I couldn't even speak. When I tried my throat cracked and felt parched. Out of nowhere, I heard an ear-splitting ringing sound that I realized was a phone."Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now," I heard Stefan say as Elena sat watching him with a confused face. "Why the hell do you have Elena's phone?" I heard Damon ask angrily as Stefan chuckled. "I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something...what will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?" "What?" Elena yelled as I groaned from the loudness of her voice. "Stefan, leave her out of this," Damon said as Stefan rolled down the window and threw Elena's phone out. "What are you doing? Stefan, let me out of this car. Do you hear me? Let me out of the car!" Elena yelled causing me to groan. Finally hearing me, she turned and her eyes widened when she saw me. "Gene? Oh my god are you okay?" she asked softly as she hopped over the seat and into the back. She pulled me gently into her lap and moved my hair from my face, then looked down at me with worried eyes. "Don't take out the stake," Stefan said to her sternly as I laid motionlessly in her arms.

Damon's POV

I stomped through the party looking for Klaus when I found him talking to a group of men. I immediately grabbed onto his arm and pulled him away and into a vacant room "What now? You just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping the Town Square," he said with a disappointed face, causing me to roll my eyes. "Stefan just grabbed Elena." "Well, he's getting desperate," Klaus said while shaking his head, not really taking this event serious. "He's gunna try and use her against you. Do what he says, get rid of your hybrids." "Or what? Stefan would never dream of killing her," he said matter-of-factly. "You sure about that? He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a Council party. He's operating on crazy right now." "Well, crazy or not, that kind of love never dies. He's bluffing." "Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but if you don't want to believe him, believe me. I know my brother better than anyone, and right now, I don't have a clue how far he is willing to take this. So if he says blink, I suggest you blink," I said angrily then walked out of the room.

Matt's POV

I carried Caroline in my arms and ran to her front door. When I got close I shouted for her mom. "Sheriff Forbes!" Less than a minute later she opened the door with a worried face, "What happened?" "Tyler bit her." Her face immediately filled with sadness and worry. "Oh my god, sweetheart," she said to Caroline with worried eyes. Caroline was clinging onto me weakly and it felt like she was beginning to burn up. "Be careful," she said to me then tried to reassure Caroline. "Oh, honey. Caroline, honey, can you hear me?" Caroline nodded her head weakly and said, "I'm sorry, Mom." Her voice was hoarse and dry, as if she had been in a desert without water for years.

We had walked through the house and upstairs to Caroline's room and I gently placed her on her bed. "She keeps hallucinating or something, I don't know. No one's picking up their phone," I said with a worried face. The sheriff nodded her head understandingly and sat next to Caroline on the bed. "It's alright, sweetheart," she said with an emotional voice and brushed Caroline's hair out of her face.

Gene's POV

"So, what's the plan, Stefan? What's the big move you're making? Besides torturing your sister," Elena said bitterly to Stefan as she rubbed my arm to try and distract me from the pain in my chest. "I took Klaus' family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one." "So, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock me in some cave and keep me hostage?" "Maybe. Maybe, I'll just turn you into a vampire." "Stop the car, Stefan! Stop the car, Stefan!" Elena yelled, but stopped when she realized it hurt my ears. Stefan acted as if he was driving alone, not even flinching at her yells. He continued to drive then pulled out his phone and called someone. "Stefan, how nice to hear your voice," I heard Nik say. Hearing his voice made me yearn to have him here comforting me in my pain, or to sink my fangs deep into his jugular. The thought of his blood made my parched throat throb as I groaned again. "Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus." "Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back." "Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source off the Wickery Bridge. And I'm going to let Gene suffer in her decaying state." "I don't believe you Stefan. You wouldn't hurt either of them," Nik said playfully but I heard the panic in his voice. With our mate bond I could also feel his anger manifesting.

In reply to Nik's words, Stefan bit his wrist and forced it into Elena's mouth so she had to drink his blood. "No! No! No! What are you doing?" she sputtered, trying to push his arm away. Since I was in her lap, her fighting slowly pushed the stake deeper into my heart, causing me to yell out like I didn't think I could. The pain from the stake caused me to scream, and the pain from my throat made it all even worse. "Genevieve! What's going on?" I heard Nik ask in a worried voice, and getting the reaction he wanted, Stefan smirked smuggly. "I just fed her my blood, and the stake in Gene's chest was pushed deeper in the process. No more hybrids if she's a vampire." "You won't do it," Nik said between clenched teeth causing Stefan to chuckle. "Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus," Stefan said as he slowly began to pick up speed. "Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena yelled as I groaned in pain.

"Fine, I'll send them away, you win," Nik said, but Stefan continued to pick up his pace. "Stefan! Stefan, stop!" Elena continued to yell as I grew frustrated. Finally having enough, I slowly put my hand on the stake that was in my chest and used all my strength to pull it out. The pain that I felt at that moment was the worst I'd ever felt. I screamed like there was no tomorrow, but afterwards I felt a great sense of relief. "Nik," I said weakly as I heard him shout, "Stop the car, Stefan!" Right when we were about to go onto the Wickory Bridge, Stefan slammed on the breaks as we skidded to a stop. Not being buckled in and not holding on to anything, I went flying through the windshield. All I felt was a hard blow to my head followed by the loud shattering of a window, then my whole body slammed onto the pavement and rolled over various shards of glass. Now, on top of the stab through my heart and not having sufficient blood, I had cuts all over my body and glass lodged into my neck and leg. Stefan quickly got out of the car and sped over to me with a worried face as I stared numbly at the night sky. "Baby girl, I'm so sorry. I didn't think you would go through the windshield," he said pulling the glass out of my body and picking me up as gently as he could. I whimpered in pain as tears silently fell from my eyes and Elena got out of the car with a worried face.

"Get back in the car," Stefan told her emotionlessly as he placed me down and walked towards her. "Stay away from me!" she yelled at him with teary eyes and I knew that hurt him, although he pretended it didn't. I slowly turned my head to watch them and I saw the pain in both of their eyes. The man she loved betrayed her in the worst way possible, and he hated himself for hurting her. "Elena, get in the car," he said again but she stepped back and frantically shook her head. "How could you?!" she yelled at him as tears filled her eyes. "My parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me," she said pointing to it then fell to the floor and began to cry. "Look, he had to believe that I would do it, alright? Your fear sold it." "What if he hadn't?" she asked with tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him. "He did." "Well, what if he hadn't?" she said louder as she fought the sobs that were shaking her body. "He did Elena! He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him." "Yeah, he has a weakness, Stefan. And she's your baby sister!" She yelled at him and he seemed shocked at what she said. They both looked over at my motionless body and finally noticed how badly injured I was. My face and body were covered in scratches and my clothes were drenched in blood. I was laying almost lifelessly as tears fell from my eyes.

"After everything, that's what mattered? Destroying Klaus?" Elena asked him skeptically, but Stefan just stood staring at me with sorry eyes. "I need to get rid of Klaus. I'm doing this for Gene." "Newsflash, Stefan! Gene loves him!" she yelled and Stefan turned to her with the angriest face I've seen in a while. "I know she loves him! But he isn't good enough for her! And she will only be miserable with him!" "So you would tear them apart against her wish, because you think she won't be happy? You could spend an eternity making her happy and it wouldn't even compare to how happy just the mention of his name does," Elena said finally and all emotion fell from Stefan's eyes. He didn't say anything, just shook his head, got in my car, and drove away. When he was gone Elena walked over to me and put me in her lap. "I have my phone," I said weakly and pulled it out of my front pocket. When she saw it and the small, reassuring smile on my face she broke down into tears and cried on my chest.

Klaus' POV

I walked up to the Forbes house and knocked on the door frantically. I'm only here as a favor to Genevieve, because she would be angry with me if Caroline died. So I have to get this done, then I'm going to go get my little vie and keep her by my side. After a few minutes Matt opened the door and was very shocked when he saw me. "Tyler came to see me. Poor boy, he seemed quite distressed, he said Caroline had a terrible accident," I said with a smirk and his shocked eyes hardened to a glare. "You made him do this to her. He would have never done something like this." "I'm here to help, Matt. My blood will heal her. Please, ask the Sheriff to invite me inside," I said looking at the woman that stood behind him. "I know how this game works. You want something in return," she said causing me to smirk a bit. "Just your support."

She stood silently for a moment, considering my offer then let out a sigh and nodded her head. "Come in." I walked into the house and up the stairs to Caroline's room and saw her lying helplessly on her bed. When I walked in she turned to look at me, and had she not been on her death bed, she would have probably been yelling. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked hoarsely. "On your birthday?" I asked her softly and took a seat on her bed. I gently rubbed her head with a small smile, "You really think that low of me?" "Yes." I let out an airy chuckle and leaned forward to examine her bite. "Ah, that looks bad. My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal," I said removing the hair from her face. I looked down at her silently for a moment then whispered, "I love birthdays." "Yeah. Aren't you like...a billion, or something?" "Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free." "No, I'm dying," she said weakly with angry eyes.

I chuckled at her spunk then said, "And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth will be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There is a whole world out there, waiting for you. Great cities and art and music, genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask," I said to her and her eyes softened. She took in a few deep breaths then said, "I don't wanna die." I nodded my head and carefully pulled her into my lap then bit into my wrist. "There you go, sweetheart. Have at it," I said as I placed my wrist on her lips and she drank my blood. "Happy birthday Caroline."

Gene's POV

After about thirty minutes Damon arrived in his car. When he saw me laying weakly in Elena's arms he immediately jumped out of his car and ran to my side. "Gene, oh my god what happened? What did Stefan do?!" he yelled pulling me into his chest and hugging me. "He stabbed her through the chest," Elena said quietly as she wiped the dried tears from her eyes. "I'm fine, take Elena home," I said weakly. "Are you crazy? You need blood, now!" "I'm fine," I said pulling away from Damon's chest and sitting stiffly on the floor. Elena looked at me worriedly as Damon shook his head. "No, let's go, come on," he said about to pick me up, but I smacked his hands away. "Take Elena home. Nik will get here soon," I said leaning back and resting on my hands. "Gene, are you sure?" Elena asked hesitantly and I just nodded my head. Damon let out a frustrated sigh and nodded then helped Elena up. They both walked to the car and got in then drove away.

Letting out a sigh, I laid back on the floor and stared up at the stars. All was silent and the air was cool. Slowly, I felt myself drifting asleep, and since I was so weak I allowed myself to.

It felt like I had just barely closed my eyes when I heard the sound of running feet approaching. I had just began to open my eyes when I felt the familiar hands of Nik picking me up gently and holding me close to his chest. "I am so sorry I let this happen my little vie," he said with a sad voice. It seemed like he was about to cry, but I just placed my hand on his cheek to calm him. "I'm fine," I mumbled quietly.

He nodded his head as he sped to his mansion. When he entered with me in his arms all his hybrids stopped and looked at me. "Should we get some bandages?" "Does she need clothes?" "Do you need anything?" they frantically asked, causing me to groan and bury my head in his chest. "No. I'll be in my room, do not disturb me," Nik said then walked up the stairs. When we entered his room he placed me gently on his bed and went to his closet to grab one of his shirts. "Should I change you?" he asked hesitantly causing me to let out an airy giggle. I nodded my head as he slowly removed my bloody and tattered clothes and put his shirt on me. It reached about mid-thigh and felt soft against my raw skin.

Nik smiled softly at me then climbed into the bed next to me. He got comfortable in the middle and pulled me close against his chest then pulled the blanket over us. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his slow, soothing heartbeat. His arms gently held my cut skin and warmed my cold body. "I know you're thirsty," he whispered in my ear causing a shiver to go down my spine. I nodded my head and slowly inched myself on top of him and leaned down to his neck. Lightly rubbing my nose against his neck, I inhaled his scent and quietly growled at the delicious smell of his blood. Slowly, I felt my fangs extract as I kissed and licked the spot over Nik's jugular. When my fangs were fully extracted I hungrily sank my fangs into his neck and drank from him. Nik moaned at my aggressiveness and ran a hand up and down my exposed thighs, causing goosebumps to rise. I drank deeply for a few minutes when I pulled back and sat straight on Nik's lap.

He smiled up at me and pulled my head down to his and kissed me roughly, licking my lips clean of his blood. "I love you," he mumbled quietly as he ran a thumb over my cheek. I smiled quietly at him and admired how beautiful he was. His charming smile and dimples, his light scruff and the way his muscles flexed when he moved. "I love you too," I said leaning down and placing a light kiss on his lips. Rolling over, I laid next to him and lightly ran my fingers up and down his arms and cheek. "Did I drink too much?" I asked worriedly causing Nik to let out a musical laughter. "Too much? Never. I'm the big bad wolf, my little vie," he said and kissed me lightly on my head. I giggled slightly as I felt my eyes begin to close and body begging me to sleep. "Go to sleep, darling. I'll be here with you until you wake up." I nodded my head and let my body fall asleep to the soft sound of Nik's soothing heartbeat.

Elena's POV

After Damon picked me up from the Wickory Bridge he drove me back to my house. During the ride neither of us said a word, and I figured he was just worried about leaving Gene in her weakened state. When we finally got to my house he walked me to my door. "Thanks for picking me up," I said to him as we both stood on my front porch. "Anytime. You gonna be okay?" "I'll survive. Somehow, I always do," I said with a small smile. "You know, Stefan won this round for us today. He pushed Klaus to the edge and Klaus blinked." "Well, his methods sucked." "Still, we needed it. Klaus has been calling all the shots, and Stefan beat him at his own game. He was the better villain." I looked at him with a shocked face, shaking my head in disappointment. "Don't sound so impressed." "Well, I can't help but be a little proud," he said with a sad smile then looked at me with a worried face. "Really, tell me, are you gonna be okay?" he asked while gently rubbing his hand across my cheek.

"You can't kiss me again," I blurted out nervously then squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment. Why did I just say that? Damon smiled slightly then nodded his head as he pulled back his hand, "I know." "I can't. It's not right," I said with sorry eyes as he slowly made his way to the steps. "It's right. Just not right now. Good night," he said then turned and walked off. "Good night, Damon."

Here I was, standing in the foyer with my little brother, who was leaving to a different state, for who knows how long. I pulled him tight against me and held onto him, wishing he could stay, but knowing it was for the best. "You're gonna have to let me go, eventually," he said jokingly, but he was holding onto me just as tight. "Be safe, okay?" I said as I slowly let go and my eyes began to fill with tears. "Alright. Alaric is waiting," he said giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I nodded my head as Bonnie walked into the house. "Good, you haven't left yet," she said with a smile and Jeremy's face immediately lit up in joy. "What are you doing here?" he asked taking a step towards her as I watched with a smile of my own. "I came to say goodbye," she said shyly as Jeremy grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. They stayed that way for a moment until he let go and grabbed his stuff. He stood in front of the door and looked back at us one last time then walked outside to the car.

Gene's POV

When I woke up in the morning and didn't feel Nik's arm around my waist I immediately shot up in bed. I groggily looked around and saw that he was no where to be found. 'That filthy liar', I thought to myself as I got out of bed and made my way downstairs. I sleepily walked through the house until I came to a large kitchen that smelled deliciously of bacon and pancakes. Leaning in the doorway, I stood and smiled happily at the site of Nik making me breakfast. There were various hybrids hovering around him, asking him to let them do the cooking, but he simply swatted them away and continued cooking. Nik was turning to swat away a hybrid when he saw me standing in the doorway and his beautiful smile graced the world. "You weren't supposed to wake up yet," he said almost disappointed that he couldn't surprise me. I let out a small giggle and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind and leaning my cheek against his broad back. "How could I continue to sleep without you next to me?" He chuckled and placed his left hand over mine then flipped a pancake.

We stood that way for several minutes until he finished the pancakes and placed them on the island where two stools were placed for us to eat together. He turned around in my arms and gave me an amazing, yet small kiss, then his eyes widened in shock. I looked at him confused for a moment, until I realized I forgot to put more clothes on. "Everyone out!" he yelled pulling me into his chest to try and conceal me, causing me to laugh hysterically. "I'm sorry, I forgot I was only wearing your shirt. And I don't have clothes anyways," I said giving him a kiss on the cheek and then sitting down on one of the stools to eat. Nik sighed then sat diagonal from me and began to eat as well.

We both ate in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was… comfortable. It felt as if we didn't need to speak to let each other know we enjoyed the other's company. We just knew. After we finished eating Nik called for one of his hybrids, who appeared before he even finished saying their name. "Would you please get Genevieve some clothes?" he asked a female hybrid who looked me over carefully. She nodded her head and left to get some for me, then not even a minute later, returned with an outfit. "Thank you," I said with an amazed smile. This outfit was cute and my size. Nik nodded his head in dismissal to the girl and she quickly left. When he finished his food, he walked over to me and picked me up, then sped to his room. "I don't want anyone else to see you like that," he said almost like a child that didn't want to share a toy. I laughed at his cute childishness and quickly went into his bathroom to take a shower.

When I walked in, I was in awe of the beautiful bathroom. Nik had followed me in and was lightly kissing my neck as he ran a hand up and down my thigh. I was still silently admiring the bathroom when I bursted into laughter at the 'His' and 'Hers' sinks. He smiled knowingly at them as I shook my head. "Is that your way of asking me to move in?" I asked playfully as Nik wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me lovingly. "No, of course not," he said laughing along with me then asking, "But do you want to?" I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face down to mine so I could whisper in his ear. "I would love to," I said softly then kissed his cheek. Then, almost in a moment of epiphany, I remembered what day it was. "Oh my gosh," I said running out of the bathroom and throwing off his shirt in the process. Quickly, I put on the new outfit and ran down the stairs.

"Genevieve where are you going?" Nik yelled following right behind me. "Jeremy is leaving today. I have to go say goodbye," I shouted over my shoulder as I sped to the Gilbert house. When I got there, Jeremy was placing his bags in the backseat and Ric was already in the driver seat waiting. "Were you going to go without saying goodbye?" I asked breathlessly as my eyes already began to water. Hearing my voice Jeremy turned around with sad eyes. "Gene, please don't cry," he said opening his arms to me. I immediately ran into them and hugged him as the tears began to flow. "How can I not cry? I'm going to miss you so much, Jer," I said sobbing into his chest. "I'm going to miss you too. But don't worry, I'll call and text all the time," he said squeezing me tightly. Nodding my head, I let go and let him get in the car. Slowly he did so and Ric began to drive off as I watched one of my best friends leave.

Please be safe, Jeremy.


	14. Chapter 13 - Meeting Abby Wilson

Gene's POV

I sat patiently on Xander's lap as Bonnie brought Elena down to the basement of the witch house. They both looked around as I watched boredly and Xander ran a hand through my hair. "I've been having these dreams for days now. It's like the witches are trying to send me a message," Bonnie said as she stood in front of Esther's coffin and Elena looked at us all with a disappointed face. "I just can't believe that you guys kept this from me this whole time." "Stefan thought, if you knew where the coffins were, Nik could threaten people to get the information out of you," I said quietly, but Elena heard me and her eyes softened to a dull sadness. "So, these are the rest of his family?" "Yeah. Elijah and two others. This one... is the one we can't open. We don't know who is in it, or what's in it, only that I think my dream's telling me it'll help us kill Klaus," Bonnie said determinedly as my eyes watered a bit and I buried my face in Xander's shoulder. "I've already told you I won't let you open that coffin, and Klaus shouldn't be killed," Xander said rubbing my back and glaring over at them. Elena seemed sorry when I peeked at them, but Bonnie's eyes were emotionless. So much for being a friend, I thought as I heard Stefan come down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked with an angry face as he walked over to Xander and I and gave us both a joint hug. "I needed her to know about the coffin," Bonnie told him as he took a seat next to us over Kol's coffin. Ha, he could kiss my ass. "And I needed you to keep her out of it, Bonnie." "So what are you gonna do, Stefan? Are you gonna kidnap me, so that I won't tell anyone?" "Still mad, I guess. I was a bit pissed at first, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do." "Don't tempt me, Elena," Stefan said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I think I know, who can open the coffin, Stefan. And I need Elena to help me find her." "Find who? Why don't you have Gene help you?" he asked gesturing to me like I was the magic solution, but I crossed my arms and shook my head in protest. "She doesn't want that coffin to be opened," Bonnie said glaring at me, causing me to roll my eyes. "There's been a woman in my dreams," she added causing me to freeze and look at her with wide eyes. Please don't let it be her… "I couldn't place her face at first. Then I realized…" she said showing Elena a photo. I waited impatiently when Elena murmured, "Oh my god, Bonnie." Stefan, being as impatient as me, got up and looked at the picture over Elena's shoulder and asked, "Who is this?" "It's my Mom."

Elena's POV

"Los Alamitos?" I asked Bonnie, who sat across from me at our kitchen table. The table was covered in various papers that we had to look through to find her mother. "Too old." "Honolulu?" "I wish," she said with a playful half smile then letting out a frustrated sigh. "How many of these are there?" "A lot. I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country," I said with pursed lips and raised eyebrows. There were hundreds of Abby Bennetts through the country, and we were on a bit of a tight schedule. For a moment, Bonnie held a paper in her hands and stared down at it dazedly. When she finally put it down, she looked up at me with sorry eyes then said, "I know we haven't been able to really... that things had been weird, because of Jeremy, and things with Gene, so, thank you for helping me with this. I know you have a lot to deal with." When Bonnie mentioned Gene I instantly perked up, since their fight almost happened over night. One day they're friends, the next Bonnie's holding a grudge. "There's nothing more important, Bonnie… But what is going on with Gene? What happened?"

She stayed silent, biting her lip nervously, until she nodded her head, deciding she would tell me. "It's just that ever since she started getting closer to Klaus she's changed. She doesn't care as much, she spends all her time protecting him, even knowing what he's doing to everyone." I listened to her carefully and thought it over, and yeah, Gene does protect him. But she has reason. "Bonnie, Gene loves him. Yeah, he's evil, but Gene is able to look over that. I mean, honestly, we all make mistakes, but his are just huge. But you can't say she doesn't care anymore. She saved Jeremy even though she knew it went against what Klaus wanted." "I guess you're right…" she said as she stared down at the table and I just placed my hand over hers to reassure her it was alright. "Don't worry about it, Gene will forgive you."

She smiled in appreciation then grabbed a stack of papers to look through. "It's surreal. Having to track down a woman, who bailed on her own kid." "You know, you don't have to, right? Let Stefan obsess over opening up the coffin. It doesn't have to fall on you." "The coffin is spell shut. That makes it a witch problem. So it does fall on me. I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later," she said as we heard the front door open and close, followed by Damon walking over to us. "Sooner. Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High... blah blah blah," he said handing a folder to Bonnie who looked just as surprised as I felt. "A little compulsion helps sped up the research process." "This is her," Bonnie said staring mindlessly at the picture and frantically going through the folder. "Yep. Roadtrip. I call shotgun."

"Yea-No," I said walking to Bonnie's side to look through the folder with her. "Want me to hang out in the back with you?" he asked walking up behind me and putting an arm around my shoulders. I immediately shrugged his arm off and walked away from Damon and to the other side of Bonnie. "You're not coming, Damon." "Why? I'm the one who found her." "Okay, Damon. Look. Bonnie hasn't seen her mom in over 15 years. We don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience," I said giving him a serious look, that turned into a small stare off. I don't know what happened, but I felt like I got caught in his eyes. We stayed that way for a few minutes. Just staring into each other's eyes, when Bonnie asked, "What's going on with you two?" I snapped out of my small daze and looked at her to see she was looking between us with a confused face. "We kissed. Now it's weird. Have a great trip," Damon said then left the house. Bonnie's mouth fell open as she watched him leave. I bit my lips nervously, dreading the conversations to come. Just great.

Caroline's POV

I walked into my house and was about to make my way to the kitchen when I saw Tyler sitting on my couch. My anger immediately flared up seeing him as I turned and stomped toward him. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. With what he did, I have no patience for him. He looked at me hesitantly for a moment then took in a deep breath. "I came to apologize." "Apologize?! You bit me. I could've died. I think we're way past apologies, Tyler." "That's the problem. Klaus told me to do it and I said no. And then… it just happened anyway. Like, it was completely out of my control. Then I talked to Gene and she told me about a possible solution, so I had your mom call him," he said gesturing to someone behind me.

I turned around and saw my dad walk in with a sorry smile. "Daddy?" "Hi, Caroline." "Gene said, since he can resist compulsion, he could teach me to resist the sire bound." Hearing there was a chance, however small it was, my heart began racing in excitement. "Can you help him?" I asked my dad who nodded his head at me. "I'm gonna try." Although I was grateful that they were going to work together, I had to know, "Why?" "Because he made a mistake and now he wants to make good. And I understand that."

Gene's POV

Xander and I were racing to the Boarding House as an exercise. We were supposed to continue our training, but since we've been so busy, we settle for races. When I had finally made it to the edge of the Boarding House driveway, Xander was coming up behind me. So I slowed my pace a bit and jumped on his back as he sped through the front door. "Well I guess technically it's a tie," he said as we both laughed. We were making our way to the library when I sensed Nik in the house and steered Xander towards him. "Nik!" I shouted in excitement as I jumped off of Xander's back and into my love's lap. "Hello there my little vie," he said kissing my forehead as he smiled brightly towards Xander. "Hey, mate." "Hey," Xander replied as he nodded his head towards the stairs. 'I'll start packing.' I nodded my head in return as Nik stared at us confusedly and I relaxed into his arms.

"What was that?" he asked as he placed a small peck on my lips. "That's our sire bond. We just get each other." "Interesting… Do you know what it is your brother wants?" he asked with a serious face. I thought for a moment then shook my head, causing Nik to sigh. "My hybrids left town as he demanded, so please tell me what I need to do to get my family back." I bit my nip nervously as I tried to avoid eye contact, but Nik grabbed my chin and made me look into his troubled eyes. "Nik… he doesn't want to negotiate." "Well holding my family indefinitely is the same thing as dropping them in the ocean," he said through gritted teeth as he squeezed me tightly against his body. I let out a strained sigh as I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him.

Elena's POV

Bonnie and I were driving in her Prius in silence when I noticed that she was a bit (VERY) tense. "Bonnie are you okay?" "I just can't believe that I'm actually going to see her. Or meet her. Sort of. Since I don't really remember her." "You don't really talk about her," I said with a sympathetic voice as Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "What's to say? She left, never wrote, never called. Not even when my Grams died," she said and I could see that she was getting angry. She let out a sigh and shook her head then said (RHYMED), "Could we talk about you and Damon instead?" "I'm not talking about it. He kissed me. It's not gonna happen again," I said sternly as I watched the scenery that passed by. It was quiet for a moment when Bonnie cleared her throat to get my attention. "I mean... was it good?" I laughed at her question and the shy face she had. "It doesn't matter." She immediately smirked at my answer, making me feel a bit uneasy, then said, "That means, it was."

I had rolled my eyes as her phone went off and we saw it was Stefan. "Oh... I told him I'd call him as soon as I got the address." "Ignore him. Bonnie, you're about to see your mom for the first time in 15 years. I'm not letting anyone ruin that moment," I said grabbing her phone from her so that she wouldn't answer. She let out a sigh, agreeing with me, then said, "Yeah, but he's gonna keep at it until I pick up." "Fine," I said as I clicked 'Answer' on her phone. "What?" "Where are you?" he asked curiously. "Bonnie and I are gonna spend the night at the lake house, while we wait for Sheriff Forbes to give us new addresses," I lied and Bonnie nodded her head in approval of my lie. "You're kidding me, right?" "No, Stefan, I'm not. We need a night off from your insanity." "Klaus is getting antsy. He knows that I'm stalling. We need to move faster," he said sternly and I could hear the urgency in his voice. "Well, we're doing everything we can. So, could you maybe not call every five minutes?" I asked, getting irritated with his incessant questions. "Sure, Elena. Whatever you say," he said hanging up as I put Bonnie's phone down.

Gene's POV

After my talk with Nik, I went up to my room and packed all my clothes. When Xander and I finished, Nik helped us take it to the mansion. Nik wanted to go to the Grill, but Xander wanted some alone time, so he went off into the woods. Nik and I drove to the Grill in a comfortable silence, and when we got there he sped to my door and opened it for me. "My lady," he said in a 'posh' voice as he bowed to me. "Why thank you, kind sir," I said in my own 'posh' voice as I curtsied to him. We both began to laugh as I linked my hand through his and he led the way inside the bar.

As we entered, his phone began to ring and he looked at me questioningly, wondering if it was okay to answer. I giggled a bit then nodded my head as he held the phone up to his ear. "How's life on the road?" he asked as I sat down at a booth, and he took the seat across from me. "Scenic. How's life in Mystic Falls without any hybrids?" a man asked from the other line. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I have super hearing so it was kind of hard not to. Matt walked over to us hesitantly, but when I smiled at him he relaxed. "What can I get you?" Nik, who was still on the phone, didn't even take notice to the question when he said, "Boring. For now." I rolled my eyes as he continued his conversation with the hybrid and gave Matt a sorry smile. "Two burgers, fries and sodas. One of them Coke, the other Dr. Pepper." Matt nodded his head, probably surprised that I knew what to get, then turned and walked to the kitchen to place our order.

"I got it covered," was the last thing I heard before Nik hung up the phone and smiled brightly at me. "The usual?" he asked me, to which I nodded my head. "What was that about?" I asked him questioningly. Nik seemed to debate whether or not he should tell me, but shook his head and waved it off. "Nothing important." I nodded my head, but somehow, I didn't believe him.

Elena's POV

Bonnie and I finally made it to Abby's house and she seemed very nervous. "Cute house," I said trying to lighten the mood a bit, but Bonnie just replied, "Yeah, in the middle of nowhere." I gave her a small smile and asked, "You ready?" She nodded her head hesitantly as we both got out of the car and walked to the front door. Bonnie rang the doorbell then began to shuffle nervously, when a young guy opened the door. "Hey, there." "Hey, we're looking for Abby Wilson," I said looking to Bonnie to make sure she was still breathing. She was standing stiffly and looking at the guy with a confused face. "She's not home. Something I can do for you?" "It's okay, we can come back," Bonnie said turning to leave. I was about to stop her when the guy said, "I'm sorry, but you look so familiar." Bonnie turned back around with an awkward face then mumbled, "Ehm, Abby is my mom." The guy's eyes widened in shock and it seemed like he didn't really know what to say. "Oh... I'm Jamie. You guys want to come inside? Right this way," he said stepping backwards so we can go inside. Bonnie looked at me hesitantly, but I nodded my head, urging her to go in.

"You guys sure, you don't want anything? We got fresh OJ, coconut water, some mango guava something," he said with a playful smile as he looked into the fridge. I looked to Bonnie, letting her decide. "Water is fine." "Cool." Bonnie sat biting her lip and kept opening her mouth to say something, but didn't know what to say. Finally she stammered out, "So, are we... like related?" "Oh, no. Abby is not my mom," he said as he poured us two glasses of water from a pitcher. "Good." "Yeah, she dated my old man back in the day. He's kind of a deadbeat, so when they broke up she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totalled her car. Twice," he said trying to lighten up the mood in the room, but really, he just made things worse. "She sounds... great," Bonnie mumbled as a women walked into the room.

"Jamie? Whose car is out front?" she asked, but when she saw us she stopped in her tracks. Bonnie raised her hand shyly, looking down at her lap, then slowly raising her head to look at her mom. "That's mine. I'm Bonnie. Your daughter," she said with a nervous smile. Abby seemed shocked and just stared back-and-forth between all of us. "...Hello, Bonnie."

Caroline's POV

I watched helplessly as my dad chained Tyler up. We were in the old Lockwood Cellar, even though I hoped we would never have to come back here. "How do you know this is gonna work?" I asked my dad, who let out a sigh and nodded his head. "That's a process. It took decades, to train myself to resist compulsion. Brain's like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it can do. A sire bound, at its core, is about one thing...gratitude. If you believe you owe Klaus your life, ask yourself why," my dad told Tyler who was standing against the wall in nothing but his shorts. "I was cursed. Every full moon I had to change into a wolf. It was torture. Klaus took that away." "He freed you from your pain and now you feel indebted to him. To break the sire bound you gotta make yourself turn. Own your pain then you'll owe Klaus nothing and you will be free."

I understood what my dad was saying, but there was just one thing that puzzled me. "But how can he turn? It's not a full moon." "He doesn't need one. You're a hybrid now, right? I mean, you can turn at will now, am I right?" "Yeah," Tyler said shrugging his shoulders, then he shook his head, "but I don't know how to just start." "You're making excuses," my dad yelled causing me to flinch slightly. When I looked at Tyler his face seemed distressed. "You don't understand! When I turn, I break every bone in my body," he shouted through teary eyes and my own began to water as well. I know how much it hurts him, and for him to turn over-and-over to be with me? I was more than grateful and appreciative. "You asked for my help. This is the only way. How badly do you want your freedom?" "Okay." "Okay," my dad said taking a few steps back as Tyler began to turn.

Elena's POV

Meeting her mom seemed to have been taking its toll on Bonnie. She wasn't that talkative and she was pretty shifty. When I walked up next to her she was holding a picture frame that showed Abby and Jamie smiling brightly. "How are you holding up?" I asked her, putting my hand on her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. She smiled at me and put the picture down, then let out a sigh. "I'll be fine. I'm not here to get my mom back, I'm just here to get her help." "So I hope you guys are hungry, cause... food has always been my go to ice-breaker," Abby said with a small smile, and even though Bonnie heard her she acted as if she didn't. "You have a really beautiful home," I said smiling at her in thanks and following her into the kitchen.

Bonnie had followed silently and we all took a seat at the table when Abby said, "You're so sweet. Just like your mom." "You knew my mom?" "Miranda was my best friend." "So, you had a daughter and a best friend and you still left?" Bonnie asked with an angry, yet confused face. Abby was a bit shocked at Bonnie's words, since she hadn't been talking much. She looked down at her hands sadly, staring at the mug she was holding for a few seconds. "My best friend is why I left. 15 years ago a vampire came to town. Looking for you, Elena," she said nodding her head to me. My eyes widened in shock as she continued her story. "Looking for the doppelgänger. No one could manage to kill him. So I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte." "Mikael. He was an original vampire." "It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back." "And neither did you," Bonnie said while shaking her head (RHYMED, sorry) and not meeting Abby's eyes.

"It wasn't that simple." "It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down and then... what? You had to teach Jamie how to drive?" Bonnie said staring daggers at Abby. You could see her anger growing. "Bonnie…" "This was a mistake. She has no magic. She can't help us," she said getting up to leave, but Abby grabbed onto her arm before she got out of the kitchen. "Bonnie, wait, please. Don't go. Talk to me... Please?" Abby asked with a shaky voice, and I gave Bonnie a stern look. I gestured my head towards the chair she was sitting in as I stood up to give them privacy. "I'll wait outside."

When I walked outside I finally noticed how beautiful the surroundings actually were. There was various flowers planted around the house and multiple trees. As I took in a deep breath of fall air, I walked around the house towards the back lot. I looked around with a big smile on my face, grateful for this small moment of peace. With everything going on back home, it was nice. While walking around mindlessly, I saw that I was standing in front of a barn. I excitedly walked into it, hoping to see some horses, but instead, Stefan was standing there. His hands were in his pockets and he wore a smug smirk on his face as he said, "Nice lake house."

Caroline's POV

I watched sadly as Tyler continuously turned into a wolf and back again. His screams echoed throughout the cellar and the sounds of his bones snapping caused me to flinch. Tyler had just finished turning back to a human when he collapsed to the floor while breathing heavily in pain. "I can't. I can't," he said shaking his sweat drenched head. "Try harder." "Can't he just rest for one second?" I asked my dad who didn't seem to care that this was painful for Tyler. "We're doing this my way, Caroline. If you can't handle it, you should go," my dad said sternly causing me to take a step away from him in shock. "He's right, Caroline. Just go." Hearing Tyler tell me to leave my mouth fell as I looked between these two men I loved. "What?! No! Tyler...!" "Go, Caroline," he said pleadingly. I nodded my head, biting my lip to hold back the tears I felt, then left.

Elena's POV

When I saw him, I let out a sigh and slowly walked into the barn to stand in front of him. He watched me with an angry glare as I stood boredly and waited for him to complain. "So, what did you think, I wouldn't find it out?" he asked after a while and I just rolled my eyes. "Honestly, I didn't care." "This is exactly why I didn't want you in the loop, Elena." "Yeah, because now you can't do whatever you want," I said accusingly, which made Stefan angrier. He growled slightly at my response then began to pace to try and calm himself, but instead he ended up kicking a chair. "Damn it!" I'll admit, I flinched when he kicked the chair, and I guess Jamie heard Stefan yelling because he walked into the barn. "Hey! Everything alright out here?" "Hey, Jamie, go back inside, okay? Please, trust me, it's better off for you there," I said with a small smile to try and convince him, but he didn't even look my way. He stood stiffly in place as he glared daggers at Stefan, who looked confusedly between Jamie and I. "I don't think so." "I'd listen to her. Get back upstairs, man," Stefan said angrily, yet in a fake relaxed tone. "I said, I don't think so."

In the blink of an eye Stefan was standing in front of Jamie. He angrily grabbed Jamie's throat and pulled him dangerously close to his face as he began to compel him, "Go back upstairs, before I tear your damn throat out. Do you understand me?" He roughly let go of Jamie's neck, causing Jamie to stumble backwards while rubbing where a bruise was already beginning to show. As Jamie walked away I stared incredulously at Stefan. I knew he had changed, but this was a bit extreme. "I don't think you've realized how bad you've gotten!" "It's the way it has to be, Elena," Stefan said causing me to let out an airy chuckle. "Oh, yeah, right. Out villain the villain. I get it."

I was turning to walk out of the barn when Jamie walked back in with a gun in his hands. I stood frozen in place looking back-and-forth between him and the gun as my blood began to run cold. "You're not supposed to be here," he said to Stefan as I slowly took steps backward to try not to bring attention to myself. "Jamie, what are you doing?" I asked shakily, and for the first time, Jamie met my eyes. "What I was told. He's not supposed to be here." This whole time Stefan had been silent, and when I turned my head to look at him his eyes were narrowed and there seemed to be a lightbulb going off. "Elena, he's compelled," Stefan finally said just as Jamie aimed the gun and shot Stefan in the chest.

After shooting Stefan, Jamie dropped the gun and grabbed some rope from nearby. He then stomped towards me and reached for my arm. I thought he would be rough, but surprisingly he was very gentle. When he pulled me to a support beam he began to tie me to it. Feeling a bit helpless, I looked at Stefan, who was left lying on the floor and groaning in pain. "Why are you doing this?" "Stop moving." "Jamie, let me go. Jamie, he needs help!" I yelled frustratedly, but was again ignored. "Jamie!" I heard Abby yell and when I looked over to where her voice was coming from my mouth fell in shock and fear. "Bonnie?" I asked in a shaky voice, hoping to get an answer from my best friend, who was being dragged into Abby s car. "Bonnie!" I yelled again frantically, but she wouldn't wake up. Seeing Abby struggle with Bonnie's unconscious body, Jamie ran over to help her.

Gene's POV

After finally getting all of my stuff moved into Nik's mansion I decided to wander around. There wasn't really much here, since the place was still under construction, but it was still giant and beautiful. I had passed about four empty rooms when I finally gave up and decided to head to the witch house. When I entered I was greeted by the usual inaudible whispers, then all at once, they would disappear. As I walked down to the basement I thought of the last time I saw Esther. I had openly defied her. I told her I wouldn't kill Nik. I don't regret it, at all. But I know that what I did will definitely come back and bite me in the butt.

When I walked into the room I immediately walked over to Esther's coffin and stood staring at it. I don't know how long I stood there, but when I finally snapped out of my hate induced daze, I got the urge to see her. I lightly placed my hand on the lid of the coffin as the magic between us wildly surged. Outside I heard wind howling through the trees and lightning striking violently, but when the lid unsealed, it all stopped. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly opened the coffin and looked down at the woman who created me. She looked exactly like in my dream: blonde hair, medieval gown. Seeing her made the hairs on the back of my neck rise and a cold shiver run down my spine. This was the woman who terrified me. The woman who could end me. Yet right now… I missed the smile she would always show me when she would visit me over the years. I miss the way she treated me like her daughter and showed me love. But now I know it was all fake. She was just using me to tie up her loose end.

I let out a deep sigh as I got the courage to lightly run my fingers through her soft and delicate hair. As I was pulling my hand back I heard steps approaching so I quickly shut the lid and placed my hand back on top of it to re-seal it. Right when the seal had finished Damon came bounding down the steps. When he saw me he let out a surprised yell then put a hand over his heart in relief. "Gene, you scared the crap out of me." I smiled half-heartedly at him then turned my back to the coffin and leaned on it. "Well what brings you here, Day?" "Klaus is coming for the coffins. We can't move them all, so we are going to move the one," he said pointing to the coffin behind me. My body tensed at the idea of handing these coffins back over to Nik. I love him to pieces, but I'm not quite fond of the idea of two of these people awakening. "Where are you going to take it?" "The Lockwood Cellar." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elena's POV

After helping Abby put Bonnie inside her car, Jamie came back over to the barn where Stefan was lying injured on the floor, and I was still tied to a support beam. I had been slowly trying to rip the rope that was used to tie my hands with a nail as I quietly whispered, "I've almost got it," to Stefan. "Abby hasn't called yet," Jamie said to himself as he paced nervously back-and-forth. I continued tearing at the rope as I watched him carefully. "Jamie, please, just let us go." "No!" Jamie yelled angrily as he snapped to face me. When he yelled, I flinched at the loud volume as he continued, "Please don't do anything. Look, I don't know why I shot him, I don't know why I'm holding this gun, but if you move or do anything, I will shoot him again." "Okay, I won't. Who gave you that gun?" "A man came by earlier today, he gave me a wooden buckshot and told me if anyone got in our way, I'm supposed to shoot him." "What else did he say?" "If Abby didn't find the location of some coffins, I'm supposed to shoot myself," he said causing me to immediately stop trying to cut the rope around my hands. I looked between Jamie and Stefan in shock as I tried to figure out how to get us out of this situation.

"What about me? What did he say about me?" "I'm not supposed to hurt you." Lightbulb! "Are you sure? Because these ropes are so tight, that it is hurting me," I said with a fake frown. Jamie looked me over skeptically for a moment then nodded his head and walked behind the beam to loosen my hands. When I could get my hands free, I grabbed the gun from Jamie and hit him on the side of the head with the butt. After Jamie collapsed to the floor I rushed over to Stefan with a worried face. "What can I do to help?" "Everytime I move, the wood shifts inside of me. I can feel it scraping against my heart. You need to get the pieces out," he said through gritted teeth. I hesitantly nodded my head, not sure if I could do it, but reached into the wounds in his chest and began to pull out the wood pieces.

Gene's POV

I sat patiently in the basement as I waited for something to happen. After a few minutes of boredom, Damon finally walked into the room with a smirk on his face. Just as he was about to say something, there was a creaking sound of footsteps from upstairs as I felt the mate bond alert me that it was Nik. "Well here you are, hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor no less," he said in an insulting way. I rolled my eyes at his sentence as he began to break down in pain, causing me to jump down to his side with a worried face. "Insulting a bunch of dead witches... not smart. I made the exact same mistake first time I came in here," Damon said smugly as I glared at him, causing him to shut up. Nik continued to scream loudly when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. I fell to the floor, writhing in pain as my heart felt like it was being ripped into pieces, over and over again.

Nik knew why I was in pain, but Damon yelled confusedly to the witches, thinking they were harming me. Technically they were, but not directly. "Well, you know, the funny thing about witches is, that living or dead, they care about their own. A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants... And I have no problem, killing every last one of them, if I don't get my coffins back. As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennett line," Nik said through clenched teeth, and suddenly all the pain stopped. I let out a relieved breath as I laid tiredly on the floor of the basement. Nik worriedly grabbed my hand to make sure I was okay then helped me to my feet when I nodded my head reassuringly. "Now... please... show me the coffins."

In the blink of an eye, the coffins appeared, but Esther's didn't. "Here we are. Where's the fourth?" Nik asked Damon and I. I wouldn't meet his eyes, but Damon stayed silent as he smirked at Nik's escalating worry. "Show me!" he yelled (right in my ear, I might add). "Well, here's the thing. They can't. It's not here," Damon said shrugging his shoulders as Nik squeezed my hand tightly as if asking for my help. "What did you do?" he asked me with hurt eyes as I finally let him see my own guilty ones. "Bonnie gave us the heads-up. We hid the fourth coffin." "So you betrayed me, again," Nik said letting go of my hand and taking a step away. Hearing the hurt in his voice, I let out a small whimper. "I trusted you, Genevieve. Yet, here you go, stabbing me in the back again." "I have my reasons!" I yelled, finally snapping. "I hope you never get that coffin back, and I hope it sinks to the bottom of the Pacific. I would rather have it lost forever, or destroyed, than be in anyone's hands!" Nik and Damon looked at me with confused faces as I took in a deep breath. "I know who's in that coffin…" I whispered quietly. Damon was still confused, but Nik's eyes widened in shock. "How?" "Because I know her. And I would rather die than allow her to awaken."

Elena's POV

It feels like it's been hours, but here I was still, pulling wooden bullets out of Stefan's chest. He was screaming loudly and sounded as if he was dying, so I decided to stop for a moment. "I'm just trying to help!" I shouted in frustration as I let out a deep sigh. "Just get it out, Elena, please. Just get it out." "Keep screaming, maybe I'll feel sorry for you," I said angrily as I tried to pull out the bullet that had been eluding me, and finally managed to get it. "You've changed. Something is different about you. You're stronger. Tougher," Stefan said letting out a small sigh as I began to pull out the last one. "You're not the only one, who changed, Stefan. We all had to." "It's good though," he said with a forced laugh as he continued to groan in pain. "There's something I have to tell you. And it's not because I feel guilty, that it happened. It's because I feel guilty, that you don't know," I said quietly. I was going to tell him, but I wasn't sure how he would react. And that kind of scared me. As I pulled out the last piece of wood I took in a deep, nervous breath. When his scream of pain died down I said, "I kissed Damon."

Stefan was getting up from the floor when I had said it, and hearing my words, he froze from brushing himself off. He looked up at me in shock for a moment then quickly avoided eye contact any further. I knew he was upset, but he was trying to play it off as if he wasn't. That made me feel bad. As I got up, too, Stefan walked away from me silently as he walked to the front yard. I watched him walk away in silence and decided to let him have a moment alone to process what I said.

After about five minutes I decided to walk to front, since I do have to drive Bonnie's car to meet her and Abby. I slowly made my way to the front and saw Stefan leaning on his car with a brooding look on his face. I stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something, but he wouldn't even look at me. "Stefan... say something. Please," I said beggingly, but all he did was shake his head. "I shouldn't have kidnapped you. The car, the bridge, that was too far." "Thank you," I said with a small smile and he nodded his head in acknowledgment. "But you shouldn't have lied to me today. You can't go off and do things like that, Elena. Not while Klaus is still alive," he said sternly and I knew he was right, so I nodded my head. "I know. I just... I wanted to give Bonnie a moment with her mother... without everything else getting in the way." "Without me getting in the way." "I didn't plan on kissing him," I said quietly as I played with Bonnie's keys in my hand. "You're better than him, Elena. You're better than both of us," he said in a monotone voice, then got into his car and drove off.

Bonnie had finally dropped me off at home after a long drive back, and I was exhausted. As I slowly made my way up the front porch I thought about all the crazy things that happened today. While caught up in my thoughts, I mindlessly opened the front door and walked in, only to come face-to-face with Alaric and Meredith kissing. "Oh. Umm-hey. Umm. Sorry," I said stumbling over my words as I awkwardly shuffled in place, not really sure what I should do in this situation. "I'm gonna go," Meredith said giving Ric an embarrassed smile as I smiled and gave a small wave. "Okay, yeah, sure, go," he said as she left and I awkwardly looked around the small foyer.

As soon as the door closed Ric looked at me with an embarrassed and sorry face. "Elena, I'm sorry," he said in a slightly guilty tone, but he really didn't have anything to be sorry about. "Please, it's okay." "It's not okay. I mean, it's not even my place. It's your place. It's Jenna's place. It's your family's place." Hearing Ric's words of guilt, I let out a frustrated sigh as I held my hand up to make him stop talking. "The minute that you slept on that couch it became your place too. We needed you and... you stayed. So thank you for that. Hey, look, I know it's hard. But Jenna's gone. And you're allowed to move on." Ric gave me a thankful smile as I smile in reassurance and made my way up the stairs to my room.

Gene's POV

Damon and I were both in the living room in silence. He stood in front of the fireplace, drink in hand as usual, as I sat on the couch reading. We were both enjoying the quiet of the house when we heard the front door open and close, followed by Stefan walking in. "Oh, you're still alive. I assume, that means Klaus didn't get his coffins," he said to Damon and by his tone I knew something was wrong. "Don't look so happy, I was only able to get one of them out in time. The locked one." "Probably a good choice," Stefan said while shrugging his shoulders as he laid across the couch with his head in my lap. "Well, hello to you, too," I said with a giggle as I put my book down and began to run my fingers through his hair. He smiled thankfully up at me, slightly closing his eyes as he enjoyed my fingers in his hair.

"Yeah. You know, if you're banking on Bonnie's mom to open it, you're screwed. She doesn't have any powers." "Doesn't surprise me. Its been that kind of night," Stefan said with closed eyes as he hummed in pleasure. "Is Elena okay?" Damon asked, and at the mention of her, Stefan's body grew stiff and his eyes flew open. He jumped up from the couch and punched Damon in the face with a hard glare on his face, causing me to jump up in surprise. "Stefan, what the hell?" I asked with a shocked face as I hit his arm disapprovingly. "I take it, you two had a heart to heart. And I take it, you don't wanna talk about it. Noted. So why don't we talk about this?" Damon asked as he held one of the daggers used to "kill" an original. "What did you do?" Stefan and I asked in sync and both with wide eyes.

I sped into Nik's mansion as I frantically began to walk around looking for Nik. When I finally found him, he was in a room with the three coffins and a hybrid. "You've got your family back. Finally. You gonna open them?" "Not quite yet. I still have some unfinished business to take care of," Nik said as he looked at me in disappointment. "What business?" the hybrid asked as I made my way into the room and to Nik's side. I was about to say something, when the hybrid suddenly fell dead to the floor, and Elijah now stood in his place with a heart in his hand.

"So, Niklaus…" he began as I squealed in joy and jumped into his arms. He happily hugged me as Nik stood frozen in his spot. "Elijah?" he finally said, causing me to roll my eyes at his shock. It wasn't that big of a deal. "What did I miss?" Elijah asked with a smirk as I smiled brightly in excitement. Things are going to get serious.


	15. Chapter 14 - We Meet Again

"You look surprised to see me. So it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest?" Elijah asked as the three of us lounged in the living room. Elijah sat across from us as I sat at Nik's side. Elijah had been gone a long time, so he wasn't aware of our closeness, and was staring at us confusedly. I wanted to tell him, but what was there to tell? Besides the fact that Nik and I are mates, which no one is allowed to know. "You look like you could do with a drink. And we have a lot to discuss, so shall we?" In a flash, Elijah had jumped up to attack Nik. He did have a right to be angry, I thought. So I stepped aside and let things take their course. "Easy. I just finished renovating. You know you have every right to be mad at me. But I kept my word, I reunited you with our family." Angry, Elijah rushed at Nik again. They both ended up in the coffin room, as I call it. Nik had been leaning against Kol's open coffin when he pulled out the dagger from his chest. I let out a small whimper of fear as Nik held the dagger threateningly to Elijah's heart.

"Don't make me do this to you again Elijah!" Nik yelled as he clenched his jaw angrily, but Elijah wasn't fazed. "Come on. Use it. I dare you. You'll have Kol to deal with." "Mikael is dead," I said to Elijah and all tension immediately disappeared. "What did you say?" he asked with a genuinely shocked face, causing me to smile. "I killed him. With his own weapon. He's gone Elijah. Forever." Elijah's shocked face soon turned to one of happiness, then to confusion. "Why do our family remain in these coffins? Finn for over 900 years, Kol for over a century." "Because of my brother," I said again and Elijah looked between the two of us confusedly. "He has Esther," I said monotonously with no emotion visible in my eyes. Elijah was dumbfounded at my nonchalance, while Nik became angry again. "There are things that you do not know about our past, Elijah. Our mother's death. Things I never wanted you to know but I'm ready to tell you now. I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me." "What are you doing?" Elijah asked and Nik turned and placed the dagger back into Kol's chest, causing me to sigh in relief. I was not ready for that confrontation.

"Always and forever. I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you our family will be whole again." "Ahem," I said clearing my throat as I glared at Nik. "Do you hear something Elijah? Almost like the sound of a traitor," Nik said with a feigned innocent voice. This bastard!

Elena's POV

Somewhat groggily, I walked out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen. When I entered, Alaric stood looking through the cabinets as he clutched his head. "Morning," I mumbled out as I grabbed a mug and poured myself some coffee. Coffee is life. "Thought we had aspirin," Ric groaned making me giggle slightly. "Yeah in the vitamins. You're hungover," I stated with a smirk as I took a long sip of the warm cup of life. "Yeah, sorry about that, it was a bit of a weird night." "I told you you don't have to feel guilty about inviting Meredith over here," I said as I rolled my eyes at his constant insisting that he was merely a bother. "Oh I know. And I thank you for that. But I do feel guilty for whiskey dialing her at two in the a.m." When he said that I choked a bit on my coffee then began laughing at his face. It screamed "Yeah, I fucked up." "No way," I said to him with a look of pleased shock as he nodded his head at me. "Oh, yes I did."

I continued to laugh momentarily then cleared my throat and tried to calm myself down. "Well, was she cool about it?" "Well, as soon as these aspirin kick in and I remember the conversation, I'll let you know." I began to laugh again as Ric took the aspirin when I heard a knock on the front door. Walking over to answer, I opened it and saw Caroline's mom. "Sheriff Forbes, hi. Is everything okay?" "This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it," she said as Ric appeared at my side with a serious expression. "Of course." "I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser," she said looking between us and I nodded my head. "Yeah. Brian Walters. Why?" "We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart," she said holding it out so Ric and I could see. I looked at it with a confused face, not really sure why she was showing it to us until Ric said, "That's one of ours. I mean this is one of a set from your parents lake house." Well that answers that. "That's why I'm here. I haven't told anyone but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set."

She stopped for a moment and seemed to being debating on whether to tell us or not. Ric waited calmly, while I kind of got antsy. I mean, the suspense is killing me. When she finally nodded her head, meaning she was going to say it, she looked at me with sad eyes. "Yours." I gasped in shock and immediately shook my head to deny it, while Ric's face changed into one of an angry confusion. "What?"

Damon's POV

"So you're the prime suspect, huh?" I asked Elena over the phone as I walked through the forest. "She doesn't think that I did it. She's just trying to find out why somebody used one of my family weapons to kill a council member." "Well why don't you just ask Ric if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons," I said teasingly with a smirk on my face. Elena sighed at my teasing as I heard an angry Ric say, "You're on speakerphone, dick." I immediately laughed as I stepped over a giant log and continued going deeper into the forest. I hope my date isn't going to be late, I jokingly thought to myself. "I'm just saying, first suspect's usually the right one. Don't get so defensive." "Brian Walters was killed days ago, alright? I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night!" I rolled my eyes at his technicality. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, I thought to myself.

"It wasn't Meredith," Elena said sternly and my interest in this dull conversation immediately peaked. "But Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Ric saw them fighting that night," I said stating the facts against crazy doctor lady. "It's not Meredith! Okay? I refuse to believe that your luck with women is that tragic," she said in a sad tone and I began laughing again. Knowing Ric, he was rolling his eyes and hating the pity he was receiving. "Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?" "Who doesn't? Got weapons everywhere, here, the school, my loft, your car." Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair as I got close to my rendez-vous point. "It's Klaus. It has to be, he's screwing with us." "What if it was Stefan? He was crazy that night. And you know he was trying to get underneath Klaus's skin, he was capable of pretty much anything." "Ahh, make's me nostalgic for the time when Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist. Anyway, I got to go, you'll know more later." "Hey, where are you?" Ric asked and I smirked at his curiosity. "Tea with an old friend," I said then hung up my phone.

When I finally arrived in the meadow, I saw Elijah standing with crossed arms and waiting for me. "Elijah. My favorite original, back from the dead. Clean up nice," I said with a smirk, causing him to chuckle a bit. "You left something, in my jacket pocket," he said as he pulled out the note I wrote (I DID IT AGAIN) for him from his pocket. "Oh, yeah," I said pointing at it with a smile then reciting what I had written him. "Dear Elijah, let's get together, plot the destruction of your brother, XOXO." "Damon," he said with a tone that said 'please get to the point.' "Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?" "I'm here, let's talk," he said with open arms and I immediately got serious. "I'll start with an easy question. Any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"

Gene's POV

After talking with Elijah a bit I got a call from Xander saying that they were going to start trying to open the coffin. When I texted him back asking where he told me the old cellar, so we decided to meet there. I saw Xander waiting for me and immediately ran to jump into his arms. "Why, hello there, Mr. Rossi," I said as I giggled and hugged him. "Hello, Ms. Salvatore," he said putting me down then bowing. We both laughed as I curtsied and we began to walk into the cellar. "Slow down!" I heard a woman shout, followed by Stefan grumpily saying, "Keep up, we don't have much time." "Well aren't you Mr. Sunshine!" Xander yelled into the cave and I immediately began laughing. "Well aren't you whipped!" Stefan shouted back, causing me to snort and laugh even harder. "I'm not whipped." "Yes you are," Bonnie said and I fell to the floor clutching at my stomach.

By the time we caught up with everyone they were already inside the protected cave. "That's the one that's sealed?" a woman, I'm assuming is Bonnie's mom, asked. "Yep. Fortunately it seems to be the one he cares about most." "I understand why," I grumbled to myself as I leaned against the cave wall by the opening with Stefan and Xander. "Aren't you coming inside?" she asked us and Stefan shook his head. "Vampires can't get in." "Yeah, I had to compel a gardener to help me bring the coffin in," I whined and Xander and Stefan both just rolled their eyes.

"This is a bad idea," the older witch said and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Look, if you're really the key to opening up that coffin, I think it's a pretty safe bet you're on Klaus's hitlist. So I suggest you hideout here and figure out a way to open up the damn thing." "Or you can just run off again like you did all those years ago," I said with a smirk on my face. Bonnie immediately crossed her arms and gave me a stern look. "Sorry," I mumbled and Abby chose to ignore what I said. "I told you, I don't have any powers." When she said that Stefan looked at me and I nodded my head in understanding. "Step forward please Ms. Bennett," I said to her as I held my hands out for her to take. She looked at all of us with an unsure and hesitant face, but when Bonnie urged her to, she agreed. She placed her hands in mine and with one touch I knew she was making excuses. "Hmm, it seems you just don't want your magic back," I said as I went back to leaning on the wall in between Stefan and Xander.

"The time's ticking. Won't be long, before Klaus calls his hybrids to find that coffin and kill all of us. So dig deep, Abby Bennett. Scrape out whatever magic you have left," he said as he walked back outside. Xander and I followed so that we could go to 'my house', but when we got to the surface we saw a somewhat awkward exchange between Stefan and Elena. "Excuse us," Xander said as he pulled me away, knowing I would most likely want to butt in or eavesdrop. "To your house we go," he said as we sped to the mansion.

Stefan's POV

After talking to Elena, I walked into my room and saw Damon holding two shirts in his hands. "Get dressed. We're going out." "Yeah, sorry, not interested," I said as I threw myself lazily on my bed. I just wanted to finish things with Klaus, then crawl into a hole and die. "I didn't ask. Elijah and I have scheduled a very old-fashioned sit down with you and Klaus. I say go with the black. Makes you look all villainy." "Klaus won't make a deal, Damon." "He doesn't have to. All we're doing is buying a little time to give our wicked witches a chance to pop the top off the coffin. And this way, Gene can't stop us, because she'll be with us." "So, that's your...uh...plan? Stall Klaus?" I asked as I propped myself on my elbows and gave Damon a bored face. I mean, we could have done anything else to stall him, but dinner?

"If you didn't go postal on his hybrids, then maybe we'd have some options." "So you unleashed an Original to help him out?" "Undaggering Elijah was smart, Stefan. Are you kidding me? After what Klaus did to him? He's in vengeance mode. It's perfect," he said excitedly and I could see he really wanted to see some family turmoil. Yet, he couldn't even deal with our family turmoil. "There's nothing smart about trusting Elijah, Damon. He screwed us over the last time he promised to help us kill Klaus." "Yeah, the way you've been acting, I trust him about as much as I trust you."

Well there it is, I thought to myself. Slowly I got up from my bed and grabbed the black shirt he had suggested to get ready. I guess if Gene is going to be there it won't be completely awful. "Hm. Well I guess that goes both ways, doesn't it?" "Oh, yes... this is about me kissing Elena. Just remember, if it wasn't for Klaus, you would have never become such a dick and that kiss would never have happened. So get ready and get happy. We're going to negotiate a fake truce and I don't want your attitude screwing it up."

Elena's POV

After my talk with Stefan I came home. When I walked into the house I saw Ric standing in front of various weapons that were laid out on the table. "What are you doing?" I asked curiously as Ric set down a knife then turned to look at me. "Taking inventory. Did you bring it?" I let out a deep sigh then nodded my head and pulled a wooden stake from my bag. "You mean, did I steal evidence from a crime scene? Yes," I said handing it to him and he laughed a bit at my words. He held it in his hands for a moment as he looked for a similar one. Then when he found it he placed them side-by-side and nodded his head. "You're right. It's a match. This is from a crawl space in the foyer. Which means, Meredith knew where it was."

"That doesn't mean, she stole it," I said stubbornly. I really refuse to believe Meredith is the person that is killing council members. Ric shook his head at me then started gesturing to the other stakes that were on the table. "This is from the loft. These are from the duffel in Damon's car." "Identical to the one that killed Brian Walters." "Damon's car was at the Wickery-Bridge fundraiser, so was Meredith. And that was the night her ex-boyfriend, the medical examiner, was killed. The one who called her psycho," he said insistingly and I was starting to be convinced. But I still had hope. "Well, she was trying to save Bill Forbes, why would she turn around and try to kill him"? "I don't know what to think either. You know, but... we'd be idiots to ignore all these facts." "So what should we do?" I asked as I let out a sigh. Why did we always have such shitty luck. "Well... Get this to the police. Then you should probably be with Caroline." I nodded my head and took the stake from him and turned to leave the house. When I was standing in front of the door, I turned to him with a sad face. "I'm sorry, Ric. Please be careful."

Gene's POV

When Xander and I had walked into the mansion we both immediately went to the living room to watch T.V. Walking in, we saw Elijah sitting on the couch with a glass of blood in his hands, and Nik sitting on the opposite couch sketching. "Hey guys," I said as Xander and I took a seat next to Nik. "Hey Klaus," Xander said and Nik looked up and gave Xander a small smile. Elijah, however, looked at me patiently so I could introduce the two. "'Lijah, this is my best friend Xander. Xander, this is Elijah Mikaelson," I said gesturing between the two. Xander, still being the polite gentleman, stood and walked over to Elijah to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Vivi's spoken fondly of you," Xander said and Elijah smiled brightly. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I hope she didn't talk about me too much," Elijah said jokingly, and I knew that was another point for Xander. Everyone just loves him.

We all sat in the living room for about thirty minutes when Elijah perked up slightly at something he seemed to have just remembered. "Ah, Niklaus, Genevieve, we will be having dinner with Damon and Stefan tonight." Xander, Nik and I all turned and looked at Elijah with confused faces. "Why?" we all asked in sync, causing me to giggle slightly. "To discuss the coffin they have in their posetion." My smile immediately fell and I nodded my head numbly as Nik's eyes narrowed angrily. It seemed he was about to protest, but I put my hand on his knee as if saying, 'Calm down.' Feeling my hand, his anger slowly disappeared as he continued drawing.

"Well, I guess I should go," Xander said as he stood from the couch. "It was nice meeting you, Elijah. Nice seeing you, Klaus," he said as he made his way to the door. "I'll walk you out," I said following him as Nik and Elijah both muttered, "You too." When we stood at the door I walked into Xander's arms and hugged him. He always made things so much easier. "I'll text you tomorrow morning?" "I shall await your message, m'lady," he said bowing. "I shall be sure to send my message promptly after I wake up, sir," I said as I curtsied. We both laughed at our silliness then Xander left.

After getting everything ready, Nik and I both sat boredly in the living room waiting for my brothers to get here. After what felt like an eternity, there was a knock at the door and Elijah went to go answer it. "Niklaus, Genevieve, our guests have arrived," he shouted to us and we slowly got up and trudged to the dining room. "Hey guys," I said as I walked over to my brothers and hugged them both individually. "Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilised men, shall we?" "It's better to indulge him," Elijah said with a sneaky smile on his face. I gave him a questioning look and he shook his head at me. 'Not now.' "I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told, I had to cause you would hear us out," Stefan said as he crossed his arms and I immediately walked over and smacked the back of his head. "Don't be rude," I whispered to him as he pouted and rubbed his head.

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours," Nik said with a smirk, causing Damon, Elijah and I to roll our eyes. This dinner was going to be a competition of who is the most evil villain. We all took our seats at the table, Nik at the head, me on his right, Elijah on my right, Stefan across from me, and Damon across from Elijah. It was a good five minutes into the meal and we were all eating and drinking in silence, except for Stefan. "You lost your appetite?" Nik asked and Damon smiled fakely at Nik, then turned to Stefan. "Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." I sent Stefan a glare and he sighed, then slowly began to eat his food. I smiled in victory as Nik let out a chuckle. "That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?" he asked Damon, who swallowed his food then continued to smirk. "Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier."

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through." "Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her," Stefan said. I groaned in annoyance and took a long drink of my champagne, then signaled to one of the various 'waitresses' they compelled to serve us. "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah." "Hey, Steffie, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert," I said snarkily to him and Damon gave me a look that said, 'I am going to kill him.' Believe me, I was getting there. "We're here to make a deal, Gene. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses." "I think Gene just meant we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself," Damon said narrowing his eyes and I couldn't help but do the same.

Finally deciding to join in on the conversation, instead of just letting us amuse him, Elijah said, "Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Oo, 'Lijah. Wrong thing to say. "I don't know. Ask Damon," Stefan said turning to Damon with a hard glare, and Damon just sat with a frustrated face. Nik laughed loudly at this situation, and I had to admit, it was pretty funny. "I'm sorry, you've missed so much. Uh- trouble in paradise," Nik said and Elijah quickly took the hint. "One more word about Elena and this dinner's over," Stefan said and I had to agree with him. That's really all they talked about. Like… ever. "You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile," I told Elijah and he nodded his head, agreeing with me. "You're probably right." "Yeah."

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Nik asked and I couldn't help but groan. What is with all this talk about Petrovas? Elijah, sensing my discomfort on the situation, tried to dismiss the subject. "Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" "Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line." "Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell," Damon said taking a sip of his wine. Elijah stumbled for what to say as he looked over at me. Quickly letting out a sigh, I rolled my eyes and gestured for him to tell it. He cleared his throat then began. "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia, she was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus." Well that didn't help how I felt, I thought as I took a long sip of my wine then asked a 'waitress' for another refill. "I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Nik said sensing my anger and trying to defuse it. Yeah, not helping asshole.

"Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?" Stefan asked in shock and Damon just stared with wide eyes. "Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I... grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?" "But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family," Nik said not meeting my eyes. God, could this night get any worse? "Family above all," Elijah said as him and Nik both raised their glasses to each other. "Family above all," Nik said in agreeance and they clinked their glasses.

As I slowly decicated from boredom and anger, Damon got a text message and 'discreetly' looked at it. "So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah said and Stefan seemed to perk up. I could easily guess what he was thinking right now. 'Finally, what we came here to discuss.' "That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, Gene, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges." "The deal sounds fair, brother," Elijah said, but he didn't know that that was anything but. "I don't think you understand, Elena's doppelgänger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. And I will never leave Genevieve behind," Nik said, making me genuinely smile for the first time tonight. He gave me a smile in return, something that shocked everyone but me, then got up and began to pace.

"Let's say I do leave Elena here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is... the two of you." "And vice versa," I mumbled. Damon and Stefan both glared at me as I raised my hands up in surrender. Hey, it's true. Damon then got up and it seemed like he had a lot on his mind. "I'm gonna get some air," he said then walked out. Before I could go after him, Elijah held up his hand to stop me. "Let me deal with this." He then got up from his seat and followed Damon outside, leaving Nik, Stefan and I alone.

"All this talk has made me thirsty," Nik said and at the mention of thirst, I realized I was a bit parched myself. Nik looked over at me discreetly, 'May I?' I slightly nodded my head, and he gestured for two women to come forward. One stood next to him as the other helped me up then sat down so I could sit in her lap. Feeling my hunger strengthen by the closeness of her neck, I leaned forward and sank my fangs into her neck.

Elena's POV

After staying with Caroline for a few hours, Matt walked me home. As we got to the front door I turned to him with a smile. "Thanks for walking me home." Matt nodded his head, then gave me a worried face and asked, "Are you doing okay? This has to bring up a lot for you." I took in a deep breath then nodded my head numbly. I refused to let myself think about the feelings it brought up. "We've all lost a lot." "It's this town, it's messed up. None of us should have to live this way." I couldn't help but agree with him on that. Simply shrugging my shoulders we both turned and walked inside my house. But when I tried to turn on the lights, nothing happened. "That's weird." "Electricity must be out."

Matt and I walked into the kitchen and I went to a cupboard and pulled out two flashlights. Handing one to Matt, I turned mine on. "I think I have some candles over there," I said gesturing to the opposite side of the kitchen. What I was met with made me flinch back in fear. "Oh my God!" I yelled as I stared at a large puddle of blood on the floor. "What the hell?" Matt said, but it sounded like he was miles away. The only thing I could think or hear was 'Where's Ric?'

Snapping out of my daze, I pointed my flashlight around, bloody handprints on the wall. "Matt," I said shaking his shoulder lightly then pointing to the hallway. He nodded his head in acknowledgment then grabbed two knives. Handing me one, he led the way into the hallway and up the stairs. Slowly we made our way up the stairs and when we came to the landing I stood next to Matt and looked around. At first I didn't see anyone, but when I put my flashlight down it shined onto Alaric. I took in a sharp breath at the sight and my eyes immediately began to water as I ran to his side. He was lying in the doorway of Jeremy's old room and had a knife embedded in his stomach. "Ric! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

I was about to pull out the knife, but Alaric began screaming loudly. Matt immediately pulled my hand back. "No, leave it in! Leave it in! He's lost too much blood. I'm gonna call 911." I nodded my head numbly as the tears fell down my face. "Ric," I said grabbing his face and facing him towards me. "Look at me. Who did this to you?" "I don't know." "Oh my God, there's a lot of blood, Matt!" I yelled in a panic and Matt calmly dismissed my worry. "I know, I know, Elena. I know." I waited in tears as I began to break down. What am I supposed to do? "You have to kill me," Ric muttered airly, causing me to look at him with worried eyes. "What?" "Elena, you- you have to kill me." "Wait, wait, wait, Matt, hang up, hang up. He's right. If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and he'll be healed."

Matt quickly hung up the phone, then looked at me with confused eyes. "But, how do you know who did this is supernatural?" "That's what he's saying, we don't but... I'm the doppelgänger," I said grabbing the knife Matt gave me. "That makes me supernatural," I said as I positioned it over Ric's heart. "Elena! No, this is messed up!" Matt yelled and I shook him off. "He's dying, Matt!" Before I could talk myself out of it, I stabbed Ric in the heart and killed him.

Gene's POV

I had finished drinking from my 'waitress' and sat patiently as Nik drank his to her death. I did feel bad, but it's his way. When he finished, he dropped her lifeless body to the floor as he hummed in delight. "Delicious. Aged to perfection." "Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother," Stefan said pulling away from our staring contest. Childish, I know. But we were bored. "Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame," Nik said with an evil smirk, causing me to roll my eyes. Men.

As I stood to walk back to my seat Damon and Elijah came back in. I quickly sent Damon a worried look asking, 'Are you okay?' and he gave me a reassuring smile. "What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter," Damon said taking a seat and Elijah did the same. "Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?" Nik said with a nonchalant face, causing me to laugh a bit. Bekah would never allow it. "Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon asked with a skeptical face and when I looked over to Stefan, he was fuming in silence. At least he is holding his tongue, I thought as I took a small sip of wine. Man, I'm an alcoholic. "Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline," I said as I shook my head at Nik's effective, yet selfish plan. "Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?" Stefan said with pursed lips, and I could see he was really straining not to snap. "Consider it a small return on my investment in her well being. See after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life," Nik said taking a step towards Stefan and smirking in victory. "You know it's what's best for her. So, what do you say Stefan, do we have a deal?" Sighing, Stefan stood up and walked over to Nik with a small smile. They both clasped hand for a shake, but before a deal could be made, Stefan said, "Nice try, Klaus. But no deal."

My eyes widened in shock at Stefan's statement and I carefully watched Nik's movement. At first it seemed he had taken it maturely, but Nik then snapped Stefan's arm in half. Stefan yelled out in pain and before Nik could kick and break his leg, I rushed forward and pulled them apart. Damon was going to help as well, but Elijah ran forward and pinned him against a wall. "What are you doing?" I yelled at the Mikaelson brothers and Nik sent me a hard glare. "Genevieve, do not interfere," he said through gritted teeth, and Stefan sent me a proud look that said, 'I can handle this.' Letting out a frustrated sigh, I walked back to my chair and sat with crossed arms.

"Bring me my coffin before I have to do anything else," Nik said and Damon's wide eyes squinted in worry. "I'll get it," he said after a moment of thought and Nik nodded with a smirk. "Go with him, brother, you keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family," Nik said. At the mention of freeing the originals I jumped forward with fear in my eyes. "Nik, please," I mumbled and he didn't so much as glance at me. "Go ahead and kill me, I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin," Stefan said bravely and my eyes began to water. How could it come to this? Nik wouldn't really kill him, would he? "You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?" Nik taunted as he pushed Stefan. Stefan growled lowly and pushed Nik back, when Elijah and Damon both entered again.

"Elijah... why haven't you left?" Nik asked in confusion and I couldn't help and look at them with a confused face, too. "Where are you manners, brother? We forgot dessert," Elijah said as he gestured a 'waitress' over. In her hands was a tin that was covered with a cloth. When she stood at his side, Elijah pulled the cloth away, uncovering two silver daggers. "What have you done?" Nik asked with wide eyes and I immediately stood from my seat. "What have you done? You see I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Just then, the man I have feared and hated for over a century walked in. He looked just as he did that night, and as he did in my nightmares. "Kol," Nik said and although I was equally as surprised, I couldn't find my voice. "Long time, brother," he said with that all too familiar smirk. I had began to back away to try and run, but unfortuantely, I caught unwanted attention. "Well, Ms. Salvatore. It's been a long time," Kol said with that evil glint in his eyes and everyone turned to me with confused faces, until another man walked in. He immediately walked over to the 'waitress' holding the tins and grabbed a dagger. He stalked over to Nik then stabbed him through the hand.

Nik was about to speed away, but before he could leave the room Rebekah stood in his path. "Rebekah?" he asked in a pleading tone. But instead of helping him like he wanted, she stabbed him with another dagger. "This is for our mother." Nik then stumbled backwards into the open arms of Kol, who held him down. "You're free to go. This is family business," Elijah said and as I rushed to my brothers to make my escape, Elijah stopped me. "You are family, are you not, Genevieve?" I hesitantly looked at him and nodded my head and Damon and Stefan both left.

Damon's POV

After leaving the Mikaelson family feud, Stefan and I both vamped to the Lockwood Cellar to check up on the Bennett witches. "You were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move," Stefan said trying to break our awkward silence. "Wow, actual acknowledgement of a job well done. You're going soft, Stefan," I joked, but honestly my mind was stuck on Gene. She was terrified when that original walked into the room. I hadn't seen her that scared since the night she broke down in Elena's house. "So, I guess I shouldn't thank you for saving me from Klaus?" "Shut up, you don't get to thank me until I pay you back for all those times you've saved me," I told Stefan, trying to get back to our stoic brother relationship. "You could have left me there. Klaus would have killed me and you would have had Elena all to yourself."

At that very moment, my phone went off. When I pulled it out of my pocket it was a call from Elena. I stared at it for a second then ignored the call and put my phone away. "I didn't do it on your account." We had finally made it to the opening of the cellar when Stefan stopped a few paces behind me. I turned to ask him what was wrong, but stopped when I saw his sad and conflicted face. "I love her, Damon." My face slowly fell at my baby brothers words and I nodded my head. "So do I," I said then entered the cellar and let Stefan have a moment to himself.

When I was about to walk up to the opening of the protected cave, Stefan caught up to me and seemed to be back to his 'evil' persona. "Let's hope big witch and little witch got that coffin open," I said jokingly and Stefan nodded his head as he sighed. "Something's gotta make this night worthwhile." That's something we both agreed on, I thought to myself. But when we looked inside the cave, the coffin was wide open and the Bennett witches both lay on the floor, unconscious. "Bonnie?" I asked in confusion. Jesus, she better not be dead. "She's still breathing," Stefan said and when I listened carefully, I could hear her breathing. Thank God for that. "Mama's still breathing, I can hear her," I added. "Coffin's open." "Well, it's not gonna do us any good. Whatever's in it is gone."

Gene's POV

I cowered behind Elijah as I tried to ignore the creepy smirks that Kol sent me, and Rebekah walked around the room admiring the place, since she was daggered before it was finished. She turned to Nik with an evil glint in her eyes. "I like what you've done with the new place, Nik," she said then grabbed a vase and threw it at a painting. I flinched at the sound then grabbed Elijah's hand to try and calm my nerves. Feeling my shaky hands, Elijah turned to me with shocked eyes and gave me a worried face. "I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again," Nik said stubbornly and Elijah turned away from me to speak to him. "Well you're right, none of us will be." "You're staying behind," Finn said taking his place beside Elijah and Rebekah and Kol did the same. But still wanting to be away from Kol, I sped to Nik's side and grabbed onto his hand. "We're leaving you, Nik. Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever," Rebekah glared and I couldn't help but glare at all of them. Forgetting my fear, I put on a brave front for my mate.

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down," Nik said angrily. Having me by his side helped him to return to his proud and fearless manor. "Then you'll become everything you hate. Our father," Elijah said and I knew that hurt Nik. Slowly, I felt his anger grow, until he snapped. "I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you." "You will when we have that coffin," Elijah said with a smirk.

It was silent for a moment, then we all heard a door opening and closing. I immediately stepped in front of Nik, knowing full well who it was from the power emanating from her. Then she walked in. The woman that I had foolishly trusted all my life. "Mother?" Esther ignored her children as she slowly made her way to Nik and I. When she stood in front of me, I glared right into her eyes to show I was no longer afraid of her. "Genevieve, step aside," she said to me, but I didn't move an inch. "Never," I growled through gritted teeth and everyone gasped. They were shocked that I knew their mother, but they were more shocked at my attitude towards hers. "Genevieve, I do not wish to hurt you," she said as her face slowly turned into a glare. I noticed all her children slightly flinch at the anger in her face, but I continued glaring into her eyes, not backing down. "Have you forgotten who created you?!" she shouted angrily and Elijah's face immediately filled with shock. No one knew my secret, but I guess that cat's out of the bag. "Genevieve," Nik said worriedly as he pulled me behind him.

Although he had been brave enough to try and protect me, he couldn't meet Esther's eyes. Just like I couldn't until recently. "Niklaus, look at me," she said sternly, but Nik couldn't bring himself to. I could feel the fear growing in his body. He was terrified of this woman and tears had began to fill his eyes. "Look at me!" she yelled and slowly, Nik's teary eyes met Esther's stern ones. "Do you know why I'm here?" she asked in a fake motherly voice, but all I could do was hold onto Nik's hand and try to comfort him. "You're here to kill me," he whispered shakily. Just hearing it, my eyes began to water as well. "Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you," she said softly and my eyes immediately widened in shock. "I want us to be a family again," she said turning to all her children with a small smile on her face. This is going to be bad.


	16. Chapter 15 - The Mikaelson Ball

Hey guys! So I just posted a new story. It's based on the book series by Melissa de la Cruz called Blue Bloods. Give it a gander?

Also, I hope you like this chappy. There's a new Nene development. (Nene = Niklaus + Gene) Read on lovelies!

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><p>Gene's POV<p>

I watched from the shadows, hiding my presence, as Elena and Matt walked out of the hospital. Although everything seemed fine, I could sense Rebekah near. She was not happy. "How are you dealing with everything? I mean, you keep getting dragged into all of this," Elena said as her and Matt stopped in front of the parking lot. He sighed loudly then shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly... I'm kind of lucky, the only thing that I have to worry about for tomorrow, is showing up for my shift at the grill." Hearing him I let out a small laugh. He sure is lucky. "Thank you, for everything today, really," Elena said with a sad smile causing me to frown a bit. There's been a murderer killing council members that are covering up vampire attacks. First was some doctor, then was Bill Forbes, Caroline's dad. That reminds me, I have to go see her, I thought to myself. Right now, Alaric is in the hospital from being the latest victim.

"Get home safe," Matt said snapping me out of my thoughts as Elena smiled in thanks and walked to her car. Matt had driven away, Elena was in her car and was about to start driving off. But before she could get far, Bekah stood in front of the car and was ran over since Elena didn't see her. I immediately burst into laughter, and seeing Elena's shocked face caused another outburst of laughter to erupt from my mouth. She reluctantly got out of her car to check what she hit, but of course, there was nothing there, and Rebekah appeared behind her.

"Drive much?" she asked with attitude and Elena stood in fear with her mouth hanging open. "Rebekah." As I slowly made my way over to them I watched carefully as Rebekah pushed Elena against her car. "Surprised? You drove a dagger through my back, Elena. It hurt," she said going to try and bite her neck. I whispered a spell, and Rebekah froze then fell to the floor unconscious. Elena shrieked in surprise then stared at Rebekah's sleeping body as I walked up to her with a large smile. "Hey Elena!" "Genevieve?" Hearing my name being called I turned and saw Elijah approaching with a pleased smile. "I should have known you would be here," Elijah said with a smirk as he walked to my side. "Elijah?" Elena asked in shock, causing Elijah and I to stop our smirking contest to look at her. "I believe we have a little catching up to do. Will you join us, Genevieve?" I smiled in thanks at the invitation then shook my head. "I'm going to take Rebekah home," I said as I bent down to scoop her up into my arms. "See you later," I said as I turned and sped away.

I gently placed Bekah down in her bed and smiled as she immediately pulled the covers over herself. She looked so peaceful as she slept. Walking out of her room I bumped into a hard chest and I immediately froze in fear of who it could be. Looking up I saw it was Finn, and I immediately relaxed. "Hello Finn," I smiled at him and instead of smiling back he threw me against the wall and held me by my throat. I was shocked, to say the least, and immediately began clawing at his throat. "I despise your existence. I despise the relationship you have with my mother and Niklaus. And I despise you," he growled into my ear. When I felt his close proximity I pushed him away and angrily slapped him across the face. "I didn't ask for any of this! Your dear mother chose me. And you will do well to remember that I am stronger than you."

Right as I was about to walk into mine and Niklaus' room I ran into yet another hard chest and groaned when a hand wrapped around my waist. "Bonjour mademoiselle Salvatore." _Hello Ms. Salvatore._ "Kol can you please leave me alone?" I asked as I tiredly pushed against his chest, but his grip tightened. "Mais je ne veux pas."_ But I don't want to._ "Kol I do speak english. And I'm tired. Please excuse me," I said and pushed him over the railing of the stairs, earning a loud whine and various chuckles from the people in the house.

Elena's POV

"It was their mother Esther who was sealed in that coffin," I told Damon and Stefan as I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "As in the Original Witch?" Stefan asked with a shocked face, causing me to stare at him in shock. That was the most emotion he'd shown, besides hate or anger, in a long time. "What? How is she even alive? Thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago." I took a cool, refreshing drink of water as I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."

Stefan stood with a confused face as he shook his head. "She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus." "Well, not anymore... at least not according to Elijah." "That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds." Damon sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and asked, "Anyone else feeling a little used right now?" I sighed, knowing they wouldn't accept this easily, and tried to explain again. "Look, Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us. But there's something else he told me..."

Damon and Stefan both looked at me with waiting faces, and I could see my hesitation caused a spark of curiosity to lighten their eyes. "Esther... created Gene," I mumbled out and squeezed my eyes tight waiting for their loud outbursts of shock. When there was none, I slowly opened my eyes to see their faces covered in shock, realization, anger and sadness. "That's why she didn't want the coffin to be opened," Stefan mumbled and Damon's eyes filled with nothing but anger. "How could she hide this from us?" he angrily asked as he began to pace. "Elijah said that Esther was angry at Gene. Something happened between them and Gene doesn't trust her." When I said that both brothers looked at each other and nodded their heads. "Then neither do we," they said together, causing me to blink in surprise. They rarely agreed on anything, and it was somewhat shocking at how easily they jumped to the conclusion. But then again, they would always trust Gene.

I smiled at the two and was about to take another drink from my water when the doorbell went off. I immediately went to answer it, and frowned when there was no one there. Looking around, and still not seeing anyone, I began to turn around to go back inside. But when my eyes lightly passed over the floor, I stopped. There was a letter. I bent down to pick it up and closed the door as I opened it. Inside of a crisp, cream colored envelope was a beautiful party invitation.

"What is it?" Damon asked from the living room as I read it over. "It's an invitation. 'Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock. For dancing, cocktails and celebration.'" "Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" Stefan asked with a confused face as I remembered something I was told months earlier. "The Original Family."

"It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon asked with a bored face after letting out a deep sigh. "Wait, there's a note on the back, 'Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet, Esther.'"

Gene's POV

I sat on the couch with Rebekah, texting Xander, as our nails were done. There was a soothing piano medley playing and I couldn't help but smile in content then frown when I read Xander's text. 'Can't make it to the ball. Out of town. Don't miss me too much.' I began to pout as I let out a sigh and let my fingernails be painted. Finn was seated on a smaller couch reading a book and Kol was standing in front of a full length mirror admiring his new suit. "Rebekah? Tell me how handsome I am," he said with a giant smirk as Rebekah brushed off his conceitedness by answering, "Ah Kol, you know I can't be compelled." I let out a small chuckle and Finn grinned as Kol then turned to me. "Genevieve, remind me how handsome you think I am." "Kol that was ages ago. I've had time to reavaluate my frivolous use of the word handsome."

Yes, I am no longer afraid of or angry at Kol. Why should I be? He might have killed me, but I came back and I'm more stronger and happier. I get to live with my brothers for all eternity. And I found Nik.

Snapping out of my thoughts from the loud slam of the front door I, along with Rebekah and Finn, turned to see Nik fuming. "You went after Elena? What is wrong with you?!" he shouted as he stomped into the room. Rebekah gave him nearly the same reaction she did Kol. She gave him a small glance and continued studying the work being done on her nails. "Here we go." "Do you want another dagger in your heart?" He yelled as Kol turned and got in his face. "Again with the dagger threats? Don't you have any other tricks?" "Oh, go back to staring at yourself," Nik said in frustration as he gave Kol a shove. Oh boy. "And who are you, my father?" "No, Kol, but you're in my house," Nik said as they continued to glare into each other's eyes. "Then perhaps we should go outside." Having enough, I stood and stepped in between the angry originals to wrap my arms around Nik's waist. "Nik, please calm down."

Hearing my pleading voice, Nik sighed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder as he pulled me to his side. I smiled in pride, but frowning when I heard Nik growling at the way Kol was looking at me. "Come, my little vie," he said as he led me up the stairs and into our room.

We both laid on our large bed and Nik's arm went instinctively around my waist to pull me close to his chest. "Will you sing for me?" he asked quietly and in an innocent tone. I smiled at his cuteness and leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips. Not sure what else I could sing, I sang my mother's lullaby.

Link: watch?v=WT491Q7lOYo

By the time I was finished Nik had fallen asleep and was lightly snoring. Seeing his peaceful face, I giggled and kissed his forehead before carefully getting up and going back downstairs.

As I walked up to the Gilbert House I stopped on the sidewalk. Letting my memories captivate me, I saw Jeremy opening the door and smiling at me patiently. 'Are you gunna stand there all day or do you wanna come in?' I continued staring blankly as my eyes began to swell with tears. Jeremy's smile fell and he walked down the front steps and stood at the edge of the yard with worried eyes. 'Gene? What's wrong?' he asked with a worried tone and my heart ached. A single tear fell down my cheek that made way for a river of rapidly falling tears. "I miss you Jer," I mumbled shakily to myself and the vision of Jeremy standing here with me disappeared. I let out a choked sob and quickly pulled out my phone to text my best friend. 'I miss you...' I sent and not even a minute later I got a reply. 'I miss you more.'

My frown immediately grew into a sad smile and I wiped all my tears. After a moment to compose myself, I walked up the steps and into the house. "If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why," Elena said as I silently walked up behind her and tackled her to the floor yelling "Elena!" She shrieked as I landed next to her then let out a relieved sigh when she realized it was me. "Gene you scared the crap out of me!" Laughing I turned and saw that my brothers were smiling down at us. "That's a dumb idea, Elena," I said as she got up and dusted herself off. "She already tried to kill you once," Damon added in and I nodded my head in agreement.

"No, Elena is right," Stefan said causing all of us to turn to him in shock. "Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion." "Well I can figure it out. We don't need Elena talking to that bitch," I said angrily. Damon and Stefan both turned to me with questioning eyes and I shrugged my shoulders. "She is a bitch."

Elena sighed then helped me up from the floor. "She wants to talk to me. If I don't go she might hurt someone, and I'm not willing to take that chance." Damon groaned in frustration and began to pace as he mindlessly ran a hand through his hair. "It's too dangerous. You can't protect yourself," Damon said in a determined tone and giving me an idea. "But if I went with her I could protect her," I said and Damon stopped his pace to look at me. Damon walked over to Elena and snatched the invitation out of her hands. "Hey!" she yelled, but Damon sent her an angry glare that he turned on me as well. "You are not going. End of story." "I am going. And you can't stop me," I said and Damon gave me another angry glare. "The party is in my house, Damon!" At that, Damon groaned in frustration but didn't argue about it anymore.

Damon's POV

"Hello Carol," I said to our mayor as I walked around the lively party. "Hello." "Hanging out with your new besties?" I asked her with an agitated smirk, causing her to frown. "I'm the mayor, Damon. When the oldest, deadliest, family of vampires moves into your town, you welcome them with a smile." "Hmm, Well at least you know who you're borrowing that cup of sugar from." "I'm trying to protect this town. They've assured me they want peace, and I've assured them that I'd enforce it," she said calmly as she smiles at various passersby. And as if being at this wretched party wasn't enough, an original walked over to Carol and I. "Mayor Lockwood. We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it," he said with a smirk as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Carol seemed a bit shocked so I pulled his hand into mine to shake. "Damon Salvatore," I said with a smirk that slowly fell when I got a good look at him. "Have we met?" "I've met a lot of people. And you don't particularly stand out. Genevieve, however, I remember meeting quite clearly. While she was still human," he said with an evil smirk as he very quickly flashed his fangs. My mind immediately put the pieces together. He killed Gene. And that's when I remembered: he was there at her party.

Finally knowing who killed Gene, who made us turn her, who forced her into this life, I was seeing red. All I wanted to do was kill him. Making my way over to the young Original, I stopped in my tracks and stared at the beautiful brunette that wasn't supposed to be here. I immediately walked over to her and came to realize Stefan was doing the same. "What are you doing here?" she asked and her face showed that she knew she was caught. "I could ask you the same thing." "Surprise surprise," I said looking between them then stopping and pointing at Stefan. "Nice tux." He smirked in thanks and I went back to Elena. "You're not supposed to be here." "Well, I am. And I'm not leaving until I find out what Esther wants. So, shall we?" Stefan and I both held out our arms and she linked one through each. Just as we walked into the crowd everyone grew silent.

Stefan, Elena and I all looked around to see everyone staring at the stairs. Following their line of sight my frown immediately changed to a smile and my bad mood immediately went away. Standing on the stairs, oblivious to everyone watching her was my baby sister. She was looking around the giant crowd and when her eyes landed on us she smiled. The same smile as my mother's. After finding us in the crowd she began to descend the stairs and Stefan had released Elena's arm to go to Gene. "She looks gorgeous," Elena gushed out and my small smile immediately grew. "She always does."

Nik's POV

I stood to the side of the crowded room with a face full of boredom. The only reason I decided to attend was Genevieve. Unlike my reluctance and boredom with balls, she loved them. So here I was, waiting for my mate to appear.

After what felt like several uneventful hours, the noise around me fell to an inaudible hush as all eyes went to the stairs. Curious as to what could cause such a reaction I turned to look as well. My bored and irritated mood disappeared in an instant. There she was. The woman after my own heart. My little vie. She looked radiant in a beautiful blue, strapless gown that suited her tanned skin perfectly. Her golden locks of hair were put up into various curls and braids that revealed the necklace she never took off. Her gorgeous face, that I love so much, was naturally done with light make up.

She stood on the stairs watching the crowd, in search for someone. I smiled, foolishly thinking she was looking for me, until she smiled brightly at someone else. My smile fell as I glared at the source of her happiness. Although it was only her brothers, I still felt angry. I wanted that smile to be mine alone. For her to only ever see me. But even if I did own her heart, as she owned mine, she would still always have love to spare for others.

Gene's POV

When I descended the stairs, Stefan stood patiently waiting for me. "Well don't you look dashing," I said to him as I broke my ladylike image and jumped into his open arms from the third step. There was a loud choir of gasps, as most people thought he'd drop me, but he effortlessly caught me. "Well don't you look ravishing," he said through a chuckle.

We were just about to begin a conversation when Elijah stepped by us to stand on the stairs, giving me a beckoning look as he did so. "Uh, if everyone could gather, please," he said to the crowd and slowly all the Mikaelaons walked up onto the stairs as well. When Nik passed he grabbed onto my hand and pulled me with him. Not feeling like a part of the family, I fidgeted a bit uncomfortably. "Relax," Nik whispered in my ear as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to his chest.

"Welcome, thank you for joining us," Elijah yelled to the crowd as Rebekah stood beside Nik and I. We were standing off to the side behind Elijah, Finn at his side and Kol smirking up a storm in the back. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance," he said with a smile and I couldn't help but smile as well. Everyone had slowly began to walk to the ballroom when Elijah began to speak again. "But first, my brother Klaus would like the spotlight," he said and everyone turned to Nik and I. Rebekah and Elijah both had mischievous smiles on their faces and I couldn't help but show the confusion I felt.

As I looked around, I saw Esther descend the stairs and watch us as well. Nik turned to me with a bright smile and I couldn't fight the smile that appeared on my face. "Genevieve," he said loudly and although he sounded composed and calm I could feel his nervousness. "I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you," he continued and everyone 'awe'd except for the people that have faced his wrath. My brothers stared with wide eyes, but I could not for the life of me look away from Nik's nervous and scared eyes. "I know, I have done some terrible things. Yet, you still find it in your heart to love me. For that I am always grateful. But now I wish to make you mine," he said as he pulled out a box from his jacket pocket and fell down to one knee.

My hands immediately flew up to my mouth to hide the idiotic smile on my face. My eyes began to water uncontrollably, and the crowd around us grew deadly quiet. "Will you marry me?" I could hear the angry groans and protests of my brothers, so I hesitated. But then I heard a small whisper of reassurance from Elena, "They'll understand." "Yes," I whispered so quietly Nik seemed to not hear it. "Yes," I said again and this time his worried eyes filled with ecstasy as he jumped to his feet and kissed me.

Never before had he shown me any affection like this in public. But what did it matter when you felt so happy you could burst? Around us the crowd erupted into cheers. After our small kiss Nik grabbed my hand and put on my engagement ring. "Alright now everyone. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom," Elijah said as Nik grabbed my hand and led the way.

Nik and I were waltzing happily and I was still smiling brightly. I'm engaged to the man I love. "Mrs. Mikaelson. Genevieve Mikaelson. I quite like the sound of that," Nik teased, causing me to giggle. When I looked back up at him he was staring down at me with serious and affectionate eyes. "I love you," he whispered to me. My cheeks flushed brightly as I rested my forehead against his while he effortlessly led us through the waltz. "I love you too." We came to a small stop as Nik twirled me and I ended up in Matt's arms.

"Hey Matty!" I said as he smiled down at me. "Hey. Congratulations," he said with a smile on his face and I could see he actually meant it. Nik has troubled his life too, but he is still nice enough to be happy for me. Letting out a sigh, I rested my head against his shoulder. "What's wrong?" "Damon and Stefan are what's wrong. They aren't going to accept this." Matt sighed as well, sending a chill down my spine as his breath blew against my neck. "They should want your happiness. No matter who it's with." I nodded my head at his calming words and saw Elena and Stefan walking away secretively. "Please excuse me Matt," I said curtsying to him, getting a bow in response, then walking after the conspirators.

Damon's POV

Elena and I glided across the dance floor as I kept my glare aimed at the man holding my little love. After a few minutes I could tell I was irritating Elena, so I ripped my eyes from Gene's glowing face and smirked at her. "You look stunning, if it isn't obvious," I said widening my eyes then returning to a smirk for emphasis. "Thank you," she said with a shy smile.

We danced in peace and then came time for the switch. I hesitantly spun her and let her go as she twirled into Stefan's arms. When I stood to catch the next girl I groaned silently when it was Rebekah. She didn't say a thing, but instead watched as Gene and Matt danced. Looking at her face I could see that she was torn between envying Gene and admiring how amazing she looked.

"Stop staring. It's creepy," I said teasingly, because for some reason I didn't like the sad look in her eyes. "Of course he's dancing with her. Why did it have to be the one woman that looks better than me?" "Well, you're no dog yourself," I said with a smirk and she gave me a sceptical yet appreciative smile. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

I laughed nervously for a second then shrugged my shoulders. "You tried to kill Elena last night. You don't get compliments," I said playing the innocent. I could see that she was hiding a smile as she turned her face away from me. That made me smile as well. "Caveman," she muttered and this time I actually laughed. That's when I noticed something. Elena and Stefan were gone. "Where is Elena?"

Elena's POV

When Damon spun me, I gasped a bit when I landed in Stefan's arms. He smirked at my reaction, which irritated me, so I put on a poker face. After a small silence I said, "Hmm. He dances, and I didn't even have to beg." He chuckled a bit and I could have sworn I was seeing the Stefan I fell in love with. "Well Caroline dragged me out here. Couldn't exactly say no," he joked, but I still laughed a bit. You could say no, but you would end up doing it anyway. "Took you about 30 seconds to put Damon in a mood," he said trying to break the awkward silence. I pursed my lips and nodded my head. "He's just looking out for me." "I think he needs to figure out that you can look out for yourself," he said seriously and I found myself getting stuck in his gorgeous hazel eyes.

"I need to talk to you," I said finding my will to speak after staring at him for a few minutes. "Okay, so talk." "Not here," I said looking over at Damon then frowning. He was dancing with Rebekah and they were both smiling. I felt a small twinge in my chest, but ignored the feeling, unwilling to accept what I knew it was. Stefan sighed, knowing what I was looking at, then grabbed my hand and led me outside.

Gene's POV

When I finally made it outside I saw that Stefan and Elena were standing in the garden talking. "If Esther is secretly on our side, we need to know. But I can't get to her with two bodyguards," Elena said with a frown. Sighing, I walked over to them with crossed arms. "So instead you'll have me." Stefan's angry face turned to me and brightened a bit as I walked over and hugged him. "I guess congratulations are in order," he said hesitantly, but still, I was grateful. "Thanks Steffie," I said hugging my brother then squealing and running to Elena. We had a small girl moment, then got back down to business.

"Okay, Damon won't let me anywhere near Esther without protection. And Stefan cares about killing Klaus more than he cares about anything," she said and my eyes immediately widened in shock. I smacked Elena's arm then turned to see the hurt in Stefan's eyes. "What, am I wrong?" Elena asked and I couldn't help but face-palm. She's been hanging out with Caroline too much. "No, you're not wrong. What do you need me to do?" Stefan said as he brushed off the pain he felt and acted heartless.

"Make sure that I can get into that room with Esther. Alone," she said then turned to let me add in. "I'll stand in the hallway and listen in. Knowing Esther she'll use a privacy spell, but I can handle that." "You sure you can do this?" Stefan asked as he faced Elena, but I could see him eyeing me as well. "I can do this," Elena said obliviously as I nodded my head.

Elena had began to walk away then stopped in her steps. She turned back to us with a hesitant face then sighed. "When we were together you used to let me make my own decisions. You trusted me. After all this at least that hasn't changed," she said with a sad smile. As she turned to walk away again I pulled a teary eyed Stefan into a hug.

"Got your text. What are we doing in here?" Damon asked as I sat in the library. Before Damon or I could say a word, Stefan sped over and snapped his neck. "Better hurry up, he won't be down for long," Stefan said as I ran out of the room and met Elena in the hallway. "Elena. I understand my mother requested to see you," I heard Elijah say in a hushed tone and I giggled to myself. "Uh, yeah. Why, is something wrong?" Elena asked as I stepped up to them and Elijah's tense face relaxed. "Genevieve, it seems I have been underestimating you," Elijah said with a mischievous smile as I linked arms with Elena. "Well Elijah, I am insulted. You do know I have habit of being involved in everything that goes on around here." "I shall be awaiting your visit later on," he said then walked off.

When we arrived in front of Esther's room I gave Elena a look that asked 'Are you ready?' She slowly nodded her head then knocked on the door as I stood by her side. "You brought Genevieve with you. Wrong choice," Finn said through his teeth and scaring Elena. I simply rolled my eyes and pushed him aside. "I am simply escorting her to insure nothing happens to our beloved Elena." Finn continued to glare at me, but as they say 'Ain't nobody got time for that!' "Finn, it is alright. Genevieve is being a good friend. You both may leave now," Esther said and Finn and I both walked out and waited in the hall.

"Do you honestly wish to save her?" Finn asked as I stood against the wall across from the door. I pursed my lips at the question, thinking it over for a moment. "Yes," I said then looked into his guarded eyes. "I don't want people to suffer for our mistakes." Finn eyed me carefully, but seemed to warm up to me a bit. I smiled in triumph then quietly did a spell to listen in on Esther and Elena's conversation.

Elena's POV

After entering Esther's room she asked me to sit on the couch as she did the same. We sat in silence as smoke from burning sage filled the room and kept our conversation private from most nosy vampires. "How are you alive? Are you a ghost? Or..." "Not exactly. When I died the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine, an ancestor of your friend Bonnie," she said and a small light bulb went off in my mind. "So that's why only Bonnie and her mother could open up the casket." "They complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the other side. But Genevieve could have easily opened the casket. She did once, but she did not recite the incantation that would revive me." Hearing that my eyes widened in shock. "So you've been on the other side for a thousand years? And what's your relationship with Gene?"

She smiled sadly at me then let out a long sigh. "Nature wanted to punish me for turning my family into vampires. In order to try and solve my problem, I sought out Genevieve. She was only human when I found her. A young girl who posessed strong magic, yet had no magic in her immediate family. When Kol killed her I took the opportunity to create another hybrid. One that served nature. Her goal was to kill Niklaus, and I made her believe he was a horrible monster. Yet when it came down to it, she fell in love with him. But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created," she said and my heart ached. She was just trying to protect her children, then right her wrongs. "You're gunna help us kill Klaus, aren't you?" "One thing at a time Elena. For now, I simply need your help."

Gene's POV

As Esther talked my blank face slowly turned into a frown. She didn't actually care about me. 143 years of fake kindness and care. Thinking about it all, my eyes got watery so I had to turn my face away from Finn. "Here," Finn said handing me a handkerchief. When I looked over at him he wouldn't meet my eyes. "Thanks," I said quietly as I dabbed at my mascara. "So are you listening?" "Yeah... Has she told you about me?" I asked and looked at him with hopeful eyes, that were immediately saddened when Finn shook his head. "Of course not..."

Elena's POV

"I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family. How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires." "She said you did it to protect them from the werewolves," I added and she nodded her head and continued with a sad face. "It's true. But in no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually, Niklaus turned against me," she said as her eyes seemed to cloud over as she retreated into her memories. "How are you gunna kill him? He's immortal." "It will take time, magic, and your assistance," she said seriously and I could see that we were going to talk about the solution to our problem. "What do I have to do with it?"

"My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion. But in truth I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the doppelgänger. Only a drop," she said as anxiety saw my face fill with fear. "Its essence will be in the champagne toast later on this evening. Will you do it or shall I?" I let out a shaky sigh as I removed my long gloves and gave her my hand. Gently, she grabbed my hand and used a small needle to prick my finger. "Genevieve and Elijah are more suspicious than the others, so they may need more persuasion." I instantly panicked, and it seems it was visible on my face because Esther began to laugh. "Do not worry, only my children must drink the toast. Genevieve will be fine." "Alright but what will happen?" "You said yourself Klaus can't be killed. But tonight's spell links all my children together, so that if one goes, they all go," she said with a smirk and I instantly gasped.

"What?" "I love my family, Elena, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them," she said sternly and I couldn't help but think of when Gene said that the right thing was never easy.

Stefan's POV

Sitting on a library couch in silence I watched over Damon's unconscious body. After about five minutes he began to stir. "Easy, buddy. Don't want you doing anything stupid," I said with a smirk as he groaned in annoyance and pain. Once he was fully healed he jumped up and tried to tackle me, but I quickly dodged him. "Where's Elena?" he asked me as his face formed an angry glare and a low growl rumbled from his throat. "Exactly where she belongs, talking with Esther."

"What did you do?" he yelled before he tried to jump at me again."Don't blame me," I said as I swatted him away. "This was all her right down to the broken neck. You know, maybe you should stop being such a controlling dick, Damon." "Wait. Hang on," he said as he shook his head. "I'm the problem here?" I laughed at his shock and nodded my head. Now he knows how it feels. "You're a liability, brother." "I'm trying to keep her alive, Stefan." "Yeah, well, your emotions are getting in the way of our plan." "My emotions?" he asked with angry eyes and I knew I hit a nerve. "How is this even happening right now?" he yelled as he began to pace and run his hands through his hair. "Maybe because you care too damn much."

Gene's POV

After Elena talked to Esther we both walked away. "So how was she?" I asked with a small smirk at the mixed emotions in Elena's face. "Intense," she said at a lack of words and I burst into laughter. "Yeah, you don't get used to it," I said as we finally arrived to the large crowd of guests. We both went our separate ways and I walked over to my fiance. Fiance. Just thinking of it made a deep blush rise to my cheeks. When I finally made it to his side, he pulled me in front of him and wrapped his arms around my waist. As he was about to say something there was a loud ringing of crystal to gain everyone's attention.

Esther had descended from her room to stand on the staircase, and I knew she was going to do the toast. I quickly looked to Elena and gave her a serious look as I shook my head. 'Don't say anything.' "Good evening, ladies and gentleman. Waiters are coming around with champagne," she said as she gestured to the waiters and waitresses, who began walking around with trays of champagne glasses. "I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one and to know that we will be having a new addition to our family," she said in fake happiness as she looked at me. Nik, not knowing her true intentions, smiled brightly and kissed my cheeks as the people around us applauded. "I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!" "Cheers!" everyone yelled as we all took sips.

Elena's POV

After the toast I found myself being pulled to the side of the room by Damon. Once he was sure no one was paying attention to our conversation he went off. "Did you get what you want?" he asked angrily and I couldn't help but flinch at his harsh tone. "Actually, yes," I said bravely and not letting him push me around.

"Good, tell me on the ride home. We're leaving. Come on," he said grabbing my arm and trying to drag me out of the mansion. "Uh no," I said pulling my arm away then sighing frustratedly. "Damon look, I'm sorry that I had to cut you out of the plan." "There shouldn't have been a plan. You shouldn't be here." "Do you think I like going behind your back?" I asked with sad, but angry, eyes. "I don't. But if I hadn't asked Stefan to help, then you would've tried to be the hero, and it would've ruined everything," I said, but regretted it when the words left my mouth. Damon's angry eyes were pierced with shock and hurt, that was quickly replaced with more anger.

"Sorry for trying to keep you alive. Clearly Stefan doesn't give a crap anymore." "Now you're mad at me for including Stefan?" I asked incredulously. "No, I'm mad at you because I love you!" he yelled. "Well, maybe that's the problem." All my anger vanished as I realized what I had just said. Looking up with regretful eyes, I tried to find the words to make things better. But there was nothing I could say. His eyes were full of pain, sadness and love. They were so overwhelming that I had to look away from them.

Gene's POV

After the toast Nik had dragged me away from the party and into his study. When the doors closed he threw me against his desk and passionately kissed me. His hands were wrapped around me as they lightly brushed across my skin, sending electricity jolting through my body. My hands desperately grabbed at his soft curls and gripped the back of his coat. Our lips clashed together with such force I felt them growing numb, but I couldn't stop. I loved the way they moved in perfect sync with mine. Slowly our kissing grew more passionate and urgent. Nik's hands were roaming my body until they rested on my thighs. Nik tightly squeezed them, causing my head to roll back in ecstasy as a moan left my lips. Things were escalating and I found myself fighting to refrain from ripping Nik's close off.

"Nik wait," I said shakily as I lightly pressed my hands against his hard, toned chest. His lips, that were tenderly kissing my neck, were pulled away as he placed his head on my shoulder and caught his breath. "Sorry, my little vie," he whispered through airy chuckles. We both remained there for a moment. His head placed on my shoulder, his hands on both sides of my legs, and my arms gently holding him.

"We should get back to the ball," I whispered out and Nik just nodded his head. He raised his head and looked down at me with a small, beautiful smile. "Yes, love," he said as he placed a light kiss on my lips then helped me off of his desk.

After walking back into the party, Nik would not let me leave his side. "These man have too much lust in their eyes," he had said, but yet he had more lust than anyone here. We had been walking to the refreshments table when I heard what sounded like Matt screaming in pain. I immediately pulled Nik towards the commotion with me, only to see Damon push Kol over the balcony and jump down after him.

Rushing outside I saw Damon and Kol fighting, until Damon snapped Kol's neck. "Damon!" I yelled at him as Stefan yelled, "Are you crazy?" Finn, Bekah, Elijah, and Elena came outside as well and stared in shock with maybe a tinge of anger. I mean, it was only Kol. "Maybe a little. Far be it for me to cause a problem," he said angrily while locking eyes with Elena. She hurt him again. Of course she did. All she does is speak and not care who she hurts. But it isn't her fault. Damon let out a frustrated 'humph' then walked away. I went to follow after him, but Nik grabbed onto my hand to stop me and Stefan shook his head. "Give him time," Stefan said before walking over and patting me affectionately on the head, then leaving with Elena.

Elena's POV

Awkward. That's all I could use to describe my car ride with Stefan. We both sat in silence as he drove me home, and I couldn't help but feel like there were things left unsaid between us. But still, there was only silence, because neither of us knew what to say.

When we finally got to my house Stefan walked around to open my door, and it brought Gene to mind. She always made sure they were gentlemen, even if they flip the switch. "So uh, Esther wants to kill her whole family. How is that for mother of the year?" Stefan asked as he walked me to my door. Seems he felt the awkward, too. "Yeah. And I got to look Elijah right in the eye and lie to him about it." "Well, good. I can't say I'll be sorry to see any of them go," he mumbled to himself, causing me to glare at him. "I just signed the death sentence for the man your sister loves, Stefan," I said angrily to him. Did he just expect Gene not to be angry or hurt by this? "No, you signed Klaus's death sentence, Elena. The monster that has ruined thousands of lives. Gene is in love with a fictional part of him." "It's not that simple," I said walking up the steps, Stefan following me after.

"Their family has brought nothing but darkness, Elena. It is that simple," he said running a hand through his hair then turning to look at me with an awkward face. "So, uh...where's Damon? I would think that he'd wanna make sure you got home safely." "I'll call him and let him know." "What was with him going after Kol?" Stefan asked and for a second I thought I saw a flash of concern, but when I looked back all I saw was curiosity. "Just Damon being self-destructive. I said something I didn't mean," I said as I thought back. Damon's face was wounded and betrayed. I hated seeing it, yet it played over-and-over again in my mind. "So did I. Anyway, uh, good night," he said then turned to leave.

I watched him as he left, and felt that he wasn't actually that different from his normal self. That's when a lightbulb went off. "Stefan," I said as I walked after him. He was at the edge of the front yard when he stopped in his tracks and walked back over to me at the edge of the porch. "Did you really not feel anything?" I asked quietly, trying with all my strength not to sound weak or scared, but I knew all my hope and fear showed in my eyes. "When?" he asked cluelessly, and that's when I snapped. "How do you do that? Act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything? Because I can't do that. I... I feel. I feel everything," I said as I angrily rambled on and poured out everything I've been feeling.

"Elena, stop," he said trying to leave again, but I grabbed his hand and held it in both of mine. "I'm not going to stop, Stefan, because I don't believe that you feel nothing." "What?" he asked and I could see he was about to open up to me. "You think I want to be this person? I hurt you, Elena. I bit you. I hate myself for what I did to you," he said angrily as his eyes began to water. I grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me, to show me how much pain he felt. "Then show it! Do something, Stefan, anything is better than trying to convince me that you don't care." "I can't," he whispered out as he grabbed my wrists and removed them from his face. "Stefan," I said pleadingly, but he kept pulling away from me. "If I let myself care, all I feel is pain," he said then left.

Damon's POV

The Grill. My own hell, where I can wallow in self-pity. I sat at the bar drinking a whiskey, Matt a few seats away from me, drinking a coffee. It was all silent until the door to the Grill opened and a pair of heels came clicking inside. "Hi. What are you doing?" Rebekah asked Matt and I could almost smell the desperation. "Well let's see, I went to a dance and got my hand crushed. I found out that I don't have health insurance, so I just needed a minute to myself," he said with a clearly irritated face.

"Well, I thought, maybe I'd buy you an apology drink," she tried again and I silently applauded her persistence. "Maybe you could just leave me alone," Matt said angrily. Youch. He's a tough cookie to crack."Look, I'm- I'm really sorry about Kol. He's a lunatic," she said sadly and I almost felt bad for her. "Look, Rebekah, you're really fun and pretty and all, but I really need you to leave me alone," Matt said as he got up and left.

I finished off my drink then got up to go save the day. "Burn. Rejected by the captain of the football team. Welcome to adolescence," I said with a teasing smirk as she let out a deep sigh. "Shut up, Damon. Knew I should have killed him. Mother wouldn't let me," she pouted, trying to cover up her sadness, so I just went with it. "Well... never let people tell you what to do," I said pouring shots for Rebekah and I. "Besides... you would have broken him in a second," I teased again while widening my eyes then smirking. "Are you suggesting I can't be gentle?" she asked in slight shock. "No. I'm just saying that you should find someone a little more durable. That's all." "And who would that be?" she asked with a flirty smile that I quickly returned.

We had immediately left the bar and came to the boarding house. As soon as that front door closed she jumped on me and began kissing me heatedly. I returned them as we snaked our way up the stairs, not once relenting. When we entered my room the kissing got more urgent and heated as we walked to my bed and tore at each other's clothes. Finally making it to the bed, I pulled off her dress as I kissed my way down her neck. Things soon escalated and I rocked her world for the rest of the night. (;


	17. Chapter 16 - Forgive Me

Damon's POV

"So, let's not make a big deal out of this," Rebekah said as she tried to tame her disheveled hair and pat down her wrinkled dress. "My thoughts exactly," I said with a smirk as I watched her walking towards the door. She seemed embarrassed about what we had done the night before, but I had no shame. "Besides, I expect you'll come calling soon enough," she said trying to fake the same level of nonchalance as I was feeling. "Let's not hold our breath," I said widening my eyes then smirking again. I walked over to the front door to open for her, but when I did Elena stood there with a shocked face. Her hand was raised to knock and her eyes immediately fell on me, then to the blonde standing in front of her.

"Did you stop taking your vervain?" she immediately asked causing Rebekah and my eyes to widen. That definitely wasn't what I thought she would say. "You think Rebekah had to compel me?" "What's wrong with you? She tried to kill me less than forty eight hours ago," she yelled as her worried eyes turned to ones of anger. I mean really? She turns me down then has the gall to get angry at my one night stand? "Can we just move past that, Elena?" "So is that how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?" she asked as Rebekah let out a heavy sigh and left. It was too early in the morning for arguing, I thought as I walked to the living room and poured myself a drink. "Well, maybe, for once, something I did had nothing to do with you," I said with a fake happy face.

Elena let out a sigh and rolled her eyes away from me. Crossing her arms, she turned to me with a serious face and said, "You should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one happens to all of them." 'Finally, some news to celebrate.' Taking a drink, I turned to her with another fake smile. "Well, that's great! Klaus will finally be dead. We win," I said then furrowed my brows together when I saw Elena's conflicted face. "Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?" "Uh, because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them, including Elijah. And he doesn't deserve this!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Geez, she has too many issues. "I'm supposed to care about Elijah?" "Shouldn't you at least care about Rebekah?" she asked again causing me to roll my eyes.

"Two seconds ago, you were pissed that she attacked you. It's a win-win," I said with a shrug and her mouth fell in obvious shock. She turned to leave, but I sped forward and blocked her path. "Don't do anything to screw this up, Elena," I said seriously and her shocked face to a conflicted one as she shook her head. "Why are you doing this?" "He's right, you know. Klaus has to die. They all do," Stefan said with his signature brooding face as he walked in. "See? It's democracy in action," I said with a smirk, but Elena wasn't pleased. Ignoring anything further we had to say, Elena left, bumping my shoulder in the process.

Gene's POV

Nik, Kol and I were all sitting in the living room. I was reading a book called The Handmaid's Tale, Nik was sketching (as usual), and Kol was sitting in boredom. It was all silent until we heard the front door being opened and Kol's pleased voice speak. "Well, well, well, there's our girl," he said causing me to look up and see Rebekah with an angry yet ashamed face, and Kol standing in front of her. "Get out of my way, Kol," she said through gritted teeth as I couldn't help but smile in pleasure as well. "Out all night. What a scandal! I trust you did better than that commoner? Matt, was it?" Kol teased and I could see Rebekah was starting to get angry. "If you don't shut your mouth, the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth," she snapped at Kol causing Nik and I both to grin.

"You two don't start!" She shouted at us, causing Nik to chuckle. "I didn't say anything." "I'm bored. Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she's having fun. I need entertainment," Kol said giving up on embarrassing Rebekah then plopping himself on the couch next to me. "What are you waiting for? Go on, have at it," Nik said gesturing to the front door, but never taking his eyes off of his sketch. I had tried to peek at it several times, but he would constantly tell me 'It's not finished yet.' "It's not fun to go alone. Join me, Nik! It's the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart," Kol pouted as he stretched himself over my lap to pout in Nik's face. Seeing as there was a broad back in my face, I couldn't read my page. "Go on, Nik. Your poor baby brother needs you in his time of weakness," I said in a baby voice as I squeezed Kol's cheeks together, until he slapped my hand away and muttered, "I'm not a baby." "Okay. Why not? I didn't have nearly enough to drink last night, what with you ruining my happy engagement night," he said putting down his sketchpad and getting up.

Kol cheered in happiness as I pushed him off my lap and he fell on the floor. But instead of pouting this time, he pulled me onto the floor with him. "Yes, please go, this house has enough men rolling around in it," Rebekah said helping me up as Kol began making his way to the door. "Just like you, Bekah," he teased again causing me to burst into laughter. Rebekah quickly took off her heel and threw it, terribly, at the door. She missed him, of course, and then shouted at the closed door. "Good riddance, both of you!" Elijah had just entered the room when Rebekah turned to me and smacked my arm repeatedly. "Some best friend. Doesn't even defend me while I'm being insulted."

"Rebekah, Genevieve," Elijah said causing us to stop and look over at him. My smile immediately fell when I looked over at him and saw that he was holding burnt sage. Oops, I thought to myself as I gave Elijah a sheepish look that said, 'Sorry, I forgot.' He nodded his head in understanding then turned to Rebekah with a serious face. "Not you too, Elijah," she began, but Elijah interrupted her. "I'm worried about mother. Have you not noticed her strange behavior?" "She's been dead for a thousand years. What's strange for her?" I smiled a bit and shrugged my shoulders and thought about her question. What is strange for someone in that situation?

"Burnt sage," he said showing Rebekah the sage he found. She took it from his hands as Elijah continued, "She was doing a privacy spell." "You know she fancies such things. Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her," she said while rolling her eyes. That is true. Finn is playing the loyal momma's boy. "I don't trust, Finn. He hates what we are, he always has." "That's not true. And as for mother, she returned for one reason, to make our family whole," Rebekah said dismissively, but I could see the doubt in her eyes. "She loves us," she said and it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. "What trouble are you looking to find?" she asked then walked out of the room.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to discuss what that sage was protecting," I said to Elijah with a smile as he let out a deep sigh. "I believe so," he said then led the way into Nik's study. "Do you trust her, Genevieve?" Elijah asked from his current spot in one of Nik's comfortable chairs. At first, I wasn't sure if I should be honest. I mean, he might not trust her, but she is his mother. I stayed silent for a moment, thinking it over, and then turned to Elijah with a sad smile. "Not even a little bit."

Elijah watched me carefully as he nodded his head. We stayed in silence for a bit more before I broke it with a sigh of my own. "Elijah, I can't tell you what she said that night. I know I told you I would, but because she is my sire I am sworn to protect her secrets," I said and Elijah's hopeful face fell. "But I can say that you have a reason not to trust her," I said quietly and his hopeful face returned. "Thank you Genevieve," he said with a kind smile as he stood and opened his arms to me. I sluggishly walked into them and smiled at the reassuring feeling his embrace always gave. After a few seconds I pulled away, and Elijah began to walk to the door to leave. Before he could open the door I stopped him by saying, "Please be careful." He turned to smile at me in reassurance, then opened the door and left.

I quickly made me way through the front door of the Boarding House and sped into the living room, where Stefan and Xander were both sitting on the couch. I immediately sat in the space between them, resting my head on Stefan's shoulder and putting my feet in Xander's lap. "Well hello to you, too," Xander said as he and Stefan both chuckled. I ignored Xander's joke, which he noticed, and crossed my arms in a silent pout. "You are the worst best friend in the history of ever," I said sending him an accusing glare. His joking face fell to a confused one as he looked at Stefan as if asking 'What did I do?' Sighing, I sat up and punched Xander's arm a bit, then held up my hand that wore my engagement ring. His face immediately grew into shock, and then he embraced me as he rambled on about congratulating me.

Just as Xander was calming down, Damon walked in with four glasses in his hands. "Join me for a little victory drink?" he asked with a smirk as he handed a glass of blood to Stefan and I, then a glass of scotch to Xander. "Damon," Stefan said warningly, knowing that this conversation topic definitely would get me angry. But being his usual self, Damon ignored it and kept talking, "Why are you so extra broody? Did you see the way we stood up to Elena? I like you on my team. Must have driven her nuts." My anger faded as I looked between my brothers in confusion. "You still think they're gunna screw this up, don't you?" "I think somebody needs to talk to Elena. She's not gunna listen to anything I say." "Is it because of your little sleepover?" Stefan said with a smirk as Damon said, "It's not my fault she decided to get jealous." "Well, given who you chose to sleep with, I would say it's 100 percent your fault."

As I listened I slowly thought over who the mystery girl Damon slept with was. But the more I thought, the less I liked the answer. When I finally came to terms, I punched Damon's arm, causing him to stumble backwards and let out a moan of pain. "What was that for?!" "You slept with Rebekah?" I yelled with a disgusted face and his shock turned into his usual smirk. "Damon, you aren't allowed to sleep with my best friends! I thought we went over this?" I said in disgust as I crossed my arms and sulked against Xander's shoulder. "Be happy it wasn't Stefan that slept with her," Xander joked. "Why would that be worse?" Stefan asked as Xander's joking smile turned to a smirk of his own. "She would definitely become a creepy Stefan stalker," he said in a low tone that gave me the chills. Stefan's curious face fell and the discomfort he felt at the idea was obvious in his eyes. Seeing it, and finding it hilarious, Damon, Xander and I all burst into laughter.

Elena's POV

I was in my room sorting through my school stuff when I heard a knock on the door. I was right about to scream for Jeremy to get it when I realized… Jeremy's not here. Sighing, I walked down the stairs and opened the door to find Elijah. "Elena." "Elijah." "I don't mean to intrude. I was hoping you might accompany me. I want to show you something," he said with a polite smile. I hesitated for a moment then smiled back and agreed to go with him.

After getting in Elijah's car he began to drive to an unfamiliar place. When we arrived, we were in the middle of the woods. I slowly got out of his car then walked around a bit while looking around me curiously. "Forgot how much I missed this land," Elijah said with a content smile as he looked up at the tall trees. "I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago." "You know, your school was built over an Indian village. Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that, there was a field where wild horses used to graze." "That's incredible," I said as I tried to picture it all. This used to be untamed land, I thought to myself. 'It must have been beautiful.'

"Come," Elijah said, snapping me out of my thoughts and gesturing for me to follow him as he continued walking. "Do you know this place too?" I asked curiously and his content smile brightened a bit, but there seemed to be something… off… about it. "I do. Below us is a cavern I use to play in as a boy. Connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it's nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance," he said to himself, seemingly caught up in his memories and thoughts. "Elijah, I should probably go home," I said trying to seem calm, but the talk of Esther only brought up a strong feeling of fear and anxiety that I didn't want Elijah to notice. "I admire you, Elena," he said to me and my fake calm slowly began to disappear. "You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face," he continued, but his usual kindness and mannerisms had disappeared. "That's not true. I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start," I lied as I struggled to maintain a calm voice, but Elijah didn't seem convinced.

"I can hear you heartbeat. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball; you are lying to me now. Tell me the truth." "I never wanted this to happen," I said in a slightly panicked tone and Elijah's usually warm eyes turned ice-cold. "What, Elena?" "We were told that whatever was going to be in that coffin was going to kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother…. We didn't know what to think." "Since her return she says she only wants this family whole again." "When she asked to see me, I… I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus. It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill," I said sadly, unable to meet his eyes. Elijah's stern face was slightly shocked as he stayed silent for a moment. "She wants to kill us all, doesn't she? She wants to undo the evil she created." "I'm so sorry, Elijah. I wish there was something I could do to help." "You know, one thing I've learned from my time on this Earth… be careful what you wish for," Elijah said angrily as he picked up his leg and stomped angrily on the ground. The dirt underneath his foot instantly crumbled away to reveal a large empty cavern that led to various catacombs. I was about to run off, knowing that I would be used for bait, when Elijah grabbed me and jumped down into the hole.

Damon's POV

"I haven't seen Elena since this morning," Ric said to me over the phone. Hearing his answer, I sighed and began to pace through the living room. "Well she's not answering her phone." "Well, I'm surprised you have time to call, what with all this Original sex you've been having," he said in a teasing voice. I let out a heavy sigh as I rolled my eyes. "Ugh… she told you?!" "Oh, she told me," he said through a fit of laughter. "Oh, really? Did she also tell you that she's having an attack of conscience about this whole Original murder thing?" I asked trying to turn the situation, but unfortunately it didn't work.

"Hey, listen, I'm not gunna judge her for having a conscience." "Well, you don't have to judge her. Just tie her up, lock her in her room, till this is over," I said with a smirk and Alaric sighed. "Well, I wouldn't if I could and I can't because I'm busy," he said causing my interest to peak. "Busy doing what?" "Don't worry about it," he said defensively and I couldn't help the snicker that escaped my mouth. "Are you with the sexy, psycho doctor?" "Goodbye, Damon," he said hanging up. I turned to sit on the couch, the smirk still on my face, until I saw a glass full of blood sitting on the coffee table.

Gene's POV

After my talk with Elijah, I wanted some peace and quiet. So I decided to go to the falls. I had slowly made my way there, and when I finally arrived, Xander was sitting next to the water. "Well, look who finally decided to show up," he said jokingly as he looked at me from over his shoulder. "Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sluggish. I should probably drink some blood soon," I said as I threw myself onto the ground and lay down.

We stayed that way for a few minutes. Listening to the sounds of nature around us. Enjoying the cool breeze that ran through the trees and rustled the leaves. (RHYMED) "So what do you want to do?" Turning my head, I looked up at my best friend. His beautiful, minty eyes were looking down at me patiently. Just seeing them calmed me. I could clearly see how much I meant to him. But there was one thing in them that always scared me… The complete devotion. I could tell him to rip out his heart, and he would. I could be inches from death and he would jump into the line of fire to protect me. Without a second thought. It frightened me. That blind faith that is the sire bond. I used to feel it for Esther, but as time goes on you learn to control it.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position. I let out a wistful sigh then turned to Xander. "I'll deal with Esther and Elena. Lord knows they'll be the hardest to handle," I said before quickly rolling my eyes. Xander chuckled at my frustration, which caused a small smile to appear on my face. "You, my dear friend, are in charge of my brothers and Nik. Keep my brothers alive, because they are definitely going to be dragged into this. And keep Nik from doing anything stupid." "Alright," Xander said, and then he got up from his spot next to me on the floor. I was about to get up to follow him when he reached a hand out and helped me up. "Always the gentleman," I said with a bright smile. Xander returned it then sped off to begin his babysitting duties. 'Well, I guess I should go get some blood.'

Xander's POV

'Salvatores or Mikaelson?' I asked myself as I stood in the middle of the woods. Damon and Stefan can balance each other out… If they would both stop trying to act like bad guys. Klaus… Okay Klaus first, I decided as I concentrated on the power Gene gave me. I could quickly sense him in town, so I quickly made my way there.

When I walked into the Grill Klaus and a guy, who I assume to be Kol, were both sitting at the bar. Looking around I saw Alaric and Meredith both sitting a small distance from them. 'Well that smells like trouble.' "Oh come on now. Let's not go blaming the new family in town just because you lot have got yourselves a killer at large. Don't mind us. My brother and I are just here to let off some steam, right Kol?" Klaus asked his brother with a giant and very sneaky smirk on his face. "Right." Well, this was going to be a long night.

Gene's POV

I stood silently at the edge of the woods, hiding myself and my presence completely. Finn and Esther were both standing in front of the abandoned witch house, and even from here, I could hear their whispers. "Do not interfere." "This must be done." "Do not disobey us." Annoyed, I held out my hand and a small flame sparked to life. "I am more powerful. So either you side with me, or I will hunt down every last witch on this earth and kill her," I mumbled and the calm whispers spiraled into a frenzy. After a moment of this, in what I could only assume was a heated discussion, the whispered calmed to one voice. "Be careful, young one," a kind, yet stern voice said. "Always."

After watching Esther for a few minutes, Bonnie and a woman, that she looked an awfully lot alike to, slowly walked up to the house. "Who's the creepy, lurky guy?" the older woman asked, causing me to crack a small smile. "Esther's son, Finn, he's a vampire so…" Bonnie trailed off then pointed to her ear, meaning that he could hear them. "Wonder what your Grams thinks about the part we're playing in all of this balance of nature stuff," the older woman said. Perking up in curiosity, I reached out to her spirit and waited for her answer. 'Why are they getting involved in vampire business?! It's dangerous!' the dead woman yelled as Bonnie said, "She's probably on the other side, screaming about getting involved with vampire business." I giggled quietly.

"Bennett witches. Thank you for coming. I can think of no better allies than the woman who sent Mikael into his long sleep and the girl who fought Niklaus so bravely," Esther said to the two as she smiled brightly at them. "Why exactly did you invite us here?" the woman, who I now know is Bonnie's mom, asked. She's smart, not trusting Esther and all. I learned that the hard way. "You are the descendants of the witch Ayana. She was a great mentor of mine and I think it's only fitting that I draw from her bloodline." "So are you channeling our ancestors?" Bonnie asked in confusion and Esther's bright smile fell to a small affectionate one. Seeing that smile… I felt a small twinge in my heart, remembering just how much she has lied to me over these years. "I draw from the entirety of the Bennett bloodline, living and dead. The connection affords me great power, although it is somewhat difficult to maintain, which is why I require you, mother and daughter. The bloodline made manifest. Tonight, my sisters, we shall bring peace to the spirits of nature that we serve and for that I thank you," Esther said and in reply I scoffed. "Not if I have anything to do with it," I said turning from my spot and going to check on Rebekah and Elena.

Continuing to hide my presence, I walked behind Elena in the underground catacombs. She was walking around aimlessly, and just because I was bored, I would give her a slight 'suggestion' to take all the wrong turns. That was, until we somehow came to the exit. But before she could exit, Rebekah appeared, blocking her way. "Going somewhere?" Rebekah asked, and then gasped in shock when she saw me. What? I'm getting tired of being invisible. I quickly held up a finger to my mouth in a hushing motion, and she understood immediately. "What are you doing here?" Elena asked, completely missing Rebekah's reaction to seeing me. What an idiot. "Not much. Unless you try to run. In which case, I get to kill you," Rebekah said with a smirk as my eyes widened in shock.

Xander's POV

I sat boredly on the couch as Elijah and Damon both talked about the current Elena hostage situation. I, personally, didn't care. She gets kidnapped all the time from what I hear. "I can't find her anywhere," Stefan said as he barged into the house, grabbing all of our attention. "Hello, Stefan." "He has Elena," Damon and I both said calmly. Stefan's face when he heard the news was anything but calm. "Actually, she's with Rebekah," Elijah corrected, and Stefan's face got slightly more panicked, because he was trying to remain unmoved. "As you can imagine, my sister is just dying to tear her throat out. So… if you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help me stop my mother," Elijah finished and Damon seemed a bit shocked.

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty," he said sarcastically. Elijah was not pleased, to say the least. "Yes, unfortunately, even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side." "So, what are we supposed to do?" Stefan asked, finally deciding to join in on the conversation. "The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodline." "End the bloodline," I said calmly. Stefan turned to me with a confused face, "End the bloodline?" "Yeah, he means," Damon said then moved his index finger across his neck. "Kill them." "You want us to kill them?" Stefan asked as he looked back-and-forth between Elijah and me with a flabbergasted face.

"You know I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you. In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them." "Oh, how super specific of you," Damon said sarcastically. "By 9:07, the moon will be full; my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So we all have our timeline? I suggest you get started."

Gene's POV

I stood next to Bekah as she recorded Elena with her cell phone. The poor girl is terrified. "Alright, love, now look into the camera." "What are you doing?" "Shooting a picture to inspire your boyfriends. Why don't you tell them how delightful it is being stuck in a hole with your biggest fan?" Rebekah asked sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. This is so like Bekah. "I guess you think I had this coming, huh? After what I did to you?" Elena asked and I could see the sadness and frustration in her eyes. But this time, I didn't care. Why shouldn't she suffer? She continuously plays with my brothers' hearts. She should get her comeuppance every once in a while. "You know, I don't know what I want more, to find out we're saved or to find out it's alright to kill you." "This isn't my fault. I wanted to get rid of Klaus. At one point, so did you. I didn't know that your mom was planning on killing all of you," Elena said trying to play the victim, again. Rebekah and I had both rolled our eyes. The innocent act always pissed me off. "Do you think I want to spend what could be the last few hours of my life having idle chit-chat with a girl who literally stabbed me in the back? Of course not! But for some reason, everybody seems to want to bend over backwards to save your life, which is incredibly annoying, but makes you the perfect hostage. So, why don't you sit down and shut up before I ruin everything by ripping your head off," Rebekah said angrily, severely close to a growl. Go Bekah.

Xander's POV

Here I sat, in the bar seat in between Klaus, Kol and Ric. Klaus and Kol were both drinking away the night when Ric got a phone call. "Yeah, no, they're still here. Yeah, they've drank their way through half the grill's liquor supply," he said into the phone, catching my attention. When I looked his way he gave me a guilty face as I heard Damon say, "Good. It'll be easier if they're wasted." "So, what's the plan?" "Divide and conquer. First, we'll need a little blond distraction," Damon said. I thought he had somehow convinced Gene to help them, and it seems so did Alaric. But when Caroline came into the bar my eyes shot open in shock. 'Don't tell me…'

"I remember her from last night. She looks like a tasty little thing," I heard Kol say, and looking over, I saw him pointing at Caroline. To my angry surprise, Klaus was defensive. "Say another word and I'll tear out your liver," he mumbled then stood from his spot and walked to Caroline's side. "Caroline!" "Oh, it's you," she said nonchalantly. "Join us for a drink?" "Mm, I'd rather die of thirst. But thanks," she said with a forced smile as she walked out of the Grill. "Isn't she stunning?" Klaus asked and my anger had increased to dangerous proportions. "She certainly looks good walking away from you. But I much prefer Genevieve," Kol said trying to give Klaus a hint that this was wrong. For an original douche-bag, Kol had morals. Cheers to him. "What Genevieve doesn't know won't hurt her," Klaus said with a smirk, seemingly forgetting that I was sitting here. I saw Kol's eyes glance over at me momentarily as Klaus got up and followed after Caroline. Gene was not going to like this.

Klaus' POV

"Caroline!" I yelled after the beautiful blonde. I ran after her, and then stopped in the middle of the street when Caroline's back momentarily turned into Genevieve. For a moment I felt guilty, knowing this was wrong. But something inside me was intrigued by this woman. She was beautiful, smart, charming and had confidence. I was drawn to her. I snapped from my thoughts by the sound of a car horn and tires screeching loudly. "Are you serious? Take a hint," Caroline shouted as I smirked at her and walked up to her side. "Don't be angry, love." "I feel nothing but anger towards you Klaus." "Oh, come on, take a chance, Caroline," I said sitting down on a bench then patting the spot next to me. "Talk to me. Come on, get to know me. I dare you," I said with a smirk, causing her to sigh. "Fine," she said then took a seat while rolling her eyes. "So, what do you wanna talk about?" "I want to talk about you. Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life." She was quiet for a moment, thinking over what she should respond, when she abruptly turned to me. "Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you." "Well, that's why I like you."

Xander's POV

Klaus was now gone and Meredith had walked over to the pool tables and began playing. She moved with an elegant seduction that I assumed was a ploy to lure in Kol. Which worked. He was watching her like a lion watching a gazelle. And after he deemed her worthy, he walked up to her with a flirtatious smirk. "A woman of your caliber ought to choose more suitable company. What's your name, love?" "None of your business," she replied instantly and intriguing Kol even more. "Let's try that again. I'll start. I'm Kol." "Why don't you get lost, Kol?" she asked with a polite smile that pressed on Kol's nerves. He remained calm, but his anger was growing.

"And why would I do that? I like pretty little things with sharp tongues," he said as he walked closer to her and gently ran a finger over her cheek. She immediately slapped it away, just as Ric came out of the bathroom. "I'm pretty sure she told you to get lost." "I'm pretty sure I don't care," Kol said turning to Alaric, who stabbed him in the stomach. "Next time, take a hint."

Gene's POV

Rebekah and I were sitting side-by-side, bored out of our minds, as Elena sat in front of us. It was dead silent when all of a sudden Rebekah groaned in pain. I immediately kneeled in front of her to see her skin turning a ghostly grey color. Then she collapsed. Elena, seeing an opportunity to escape, immediately ran off in search for the exit.

Klaus' POV

I was talking to Caroline when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It felt almost as if I had been daggered, my body growing weak and turning a bit pale. "What is it?" "What did you do?" I immediately asked her and she shook her head in denial. "Nothing," she said innocently, but I was in no mood for games. I grabbed her roughly, pulling her close and looking into her fear filled eyes. "What did you do?!" "I didn't do anything. Stop it!" she yelled pulling away and my mind raced to one person.

"Kol!"

Xander's POV

Helping Alaric, I carried Kol's decayed body into the alley behind the Grill where Damon and Stefan were waiting. "One dead original," I said to them as I threw Kol's body on the floor. "Tell your sexy doctor, good work," Damon said with a smirk as Ric and Stefan rolled their eyes.

Just then Klaus appeared in the entrance to the alley and sped forward, undaggering Kol. He immediately knocked Ric against the wall. He was going to attack me as well when I raised a hand and shook my finger. "I'm just the omnipresent observer here." He gave me a confused face and as I was about to explain Stefan tried to attack, but Klaus knocked him out. "I should have killed you months ago," he said as he was about to bend down and pull out his heart, but Damon intercepted. "Do it. It's not going to stop Esther from killing you." Hearing his mother's name, Klaus stopped and turned to Damon with an angry face. "What did you say about my mother?" "You didn't know I was friends with your mummy? Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do," Damon said, causing me to sigh. He was bating Klaus. Klaus was about to attack Damon, but Elijah appeared and stopped him.

"Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus." "What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?" Klaus asked as he stomped up to his older brother. Where Klaus was temperamental and angry, Elijah was patient and calm. The two brothers were complete opposites. Elijah walked towards Damon holding a phone in his hand, "You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now." "You told me we had until after nine." "I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."

Gene's POV

After a few minutes Rebekah got up. She was fine, but since she was still recovering from being daggered, she was a bit weaker than usual. When she saw the Elena was missing she looked to me with a confused face. "She's trying to escape. And failing miserably," I said with a sigh, causing Rebekah to laugh. We both began following Elena's scent when Rebekah screamed out, "You can't hide, Elena!" I don't know if it was out of fear, shock, or just plain stupidity, but we heard the echo of Elena falling. I couldn't help but chuckle, but Rebekah merely smirked. "Not sure why I'm feeling under the weather. Must be your boys trying to find a loophole. Won't matter, I could chase you down on my worst day."

We had both began to speed toward her when we saw her standing in front of the protected cavern. Rebekah grabbed Elena from behind and yelled, "Boo!" I laughed a bit at the silly gesture, then laughed even more when Elena head-butted Rebekah in the face. While Rebekah leaned forward clutching at her nose Elena jumped into the cavern. "You little bitch!" she yelled angrily as she tried to enter, but couldn't. Man, if she were able to get in there she would tear Elena apart. I was tempted to grant her access, but knew I couldn't let Elena die. No matter how much she deserved it. "What is this?" Rebekah asked with a confused and angry face. "Sorry. No vampires allowed," Elena said with a victorious tone that I desperately wanted to wipe from her voice. With a smirk, I revealed myself to Elena, who gasped in shock. "Gene?" "Hello, Elena."

Xander's POV

Damon, Stefan and I were sitting in my car in front of the witch house. The two of them seemed conflicted on what they had to do. "So how do we know they're going to be at the old witch house?" "We don't. But if they're not, then we have about ten minutes until Rebekah tears Elena apart." "You know," I said to get their attention, "if you sit this out, Esther completes her spell, Klaus dies, and you get your revenge. It's what you want. The only collateral damage is…." I left off, then Stefan and Damon both finished, "Elena." They both sat in thought for a moment when Damon turned to Stefan with a serious face. "You know what she'd choose." "She'd let herself be killed to save her friend." "Yep." "If you do this, it'll wreck her," I added in. They both looked at each other, silently trying to come to an agreement. "Well, she'll hate us. Thing is, she only has to hate one of us. Only one of us has to do the actual deed." "So, who's it gunna be, brother?" Stefan asked and Damon pulled out a coin from his pocket.

"Heads I do it, tails you do it." "Awful lot of effort for someone who pretends not to care about her anymore," Stefan said accusingly, but Damon just smirked. "Pot, kettle, brother." Then, he flipped the coin.

Gene's PO

I sat boredly as I waited for Rebekah to return and Elena used a flashlight to find an escape. "Elena!" Rebekah yelled, signaling her return and holding a canister of gasoline in her hand. "Let's pick it up where we left off," she said with a smirk as she emptied the contents of the gasoline on Elena. "What are you doing?" she yelled in fear as I nodded my head in approval. "Good idea, Bekah," I said with a smile, which she returned in thanks as she continued to pour gasoline into the cavern. "Thought I'd shake things up a bit." "Are you insane?" Elena yelled as she pulled at her damp and smelly clothes. "I prefer spontaneous. It's probably why Damon likes me so much," she said with a smirk. "Gross," I mumbled as I made fake gagging sounds. Rebekah smirked down at me then threw the canister at Elena. Lucky for her, she ducked before it could hit her.

As Elena stood up to look at us in shock Rebekah pulled a packet of matches from her pocket. "Here's what's gunna happen," she said lighting a match and throwing it into the cave. A small fire started in front of the cave opening as she continued. "You're gunna come outside," she said lighting another and throwing it in as well, "or you're going to stay in there and burn." Slowly the fire began to grow and Elena began to panic. She kept looking at me, silently asking for help, but I didn't move an inch from my seat next to Bekah. "The next match is landing on you," Rebekah asked as she pulled out her phone and continued recording. "So, Elena, how does it feel to know that these may be your last moments?" "I don't know, you tell me. You're the one whose mother's trying to kill you." My head immediately shot up to look at Elena in anger and shock.

"Be careful what you say, Elena," I said through gritted teeth. Elena ignored me and continued to act tough. "You're still wearing her necklace." "Do you want it? Is that your last request?" Rebekah asked as she tore the necklace from her neck and threw it into the fire. "Here. It's all yours." "She's not doing this because she hates you, Rebekah. She told me that she… she just doesn't have another choice." "Spare me your pity, Elena. We're not girlfriends. Want me to prove it? Just say the word," Rebekah said lighting another match.

"You're not gunna do it," Elena said shaking her head in nonchalance, but you could see every ounce of fear she felt in her eyes. "And why is that?" "Because there's still a chance that you might be alive tomorrow. And if that's the case and you kill me now, you'll have used up all of your revenge. Wasted it and isn't that what you want? Revenge? Because I- I pretended to like you and then I stuck a dagger in your back. I mean, that's why you slept with Damon, isn't it? That's why you're tormenting me, because I hurt your feelings." Rebekah stared blankly at Elena, and I knew she hit a nerve. The match in Rebekah's hand burned out as she dropped it to the floor and I stood up.

"Elena," I said grabbing her attention. She watched me carefully as I walked into the cave. The flames dimmed around me then flared back to life as I passed. Once I was standing in front of her I pulled my hand back and slapped her across the face. Her hand flew to her cheek and her eyes watered. She looked at me in pain and shock, but I showed no emotion. "No one on this planet deserves to suffer more than you do," I said through my teeth as I glared at her with narrowed eyes. Hey eyes flicked between both of mine as I turned my back and walked out of the cave.

"They're coming, Mother!" I heard Finn yell in the distance as I slowly made my way towards the witch house. "No, it's too soon; the moon is not high enough. Go! Quickly!" she yelled as I walked to the edge of the clearing, arriving at the same time as Kol, Elijah and Nik. "My children," she said looking at all of us then opened her arms, "come forward." "Stay beside me, Mother," Finn said protectively as the two of them stood in the middle of a circle of fire. "It's okay. They can't enter," she said calmly, causing a small smirk to appear on my face. "That's lovely. We're stuck out here, while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn," Kol spat angrily and Esther immediately went to his defense. "Be quiet, Kol. Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine." "Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity," Elijah said as I walked to Nik's side. My hand immediately found his as I interlocked our fingers. Feeling my touch he looked down at me and gave me a small smile. "My only regrets are that I did not let you die a thousand years ago, and that I created you Genevieve," she said looking over at me with sorry eyes. My blank face didn't waver, but I felt a sharp pain stab at my heart. "Enough," Nik said as he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell." "For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry; you've wasted your time."

"Well actually mother," I said stepping forward and letting go of Nik's hand. "It is you who is wasting their time." Esther sent me a questioning look as I stepped forward. I walked up to the flames and noticed her body tense minutely. "You see, the witches and I have made an agreement," I said reaching my hand forward into the flames. Instead of burning me, or keeping me out, they dimmed around my touch. Esther gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "They do not agree with you, Esther." With a smirk on my face, I stepped into the circle and stood in front of her. "It is not possible," she mumbled. "The witches have abandoned you," I said with a smirk that quickly fell, "like you abandoned me," I whispered.

Esther's shocked face filled with sadness as she abruptly reached out and pulled me into her arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered in my ear as she hugged me tightly. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, but I paid them no mind. Slowly I raised my arms to return the hug as my eyes filled with tears. "Forgive me, mother," I whispered before plunging my hand through her back and grabbing onto her heart. Finn, who was the only one that could see, gasped then collapsed to his knees in tears. The body in my arms that was supporting itself suddenly became as lifeless as a doll. Pulling my hand out, her heart with it, I kneeled down and gently placed her on the floor. The tears that were in my eyes began flowing freely as I placed her heart next to her. "Genevieve," Nik said with a sad tone, but I ignored him. The only thing I focused on was the dead woman in front of me.

After a moment of staring blankly at her body, a single sob escaped my lips, making way for a flood of tears and cries. "I'm so sorry," I cried out as my body shook and I clutched on to her dress. My head was rested on her stomach as the memories of the times we spent together played over-and-over. She was the only mother I had ever known. Although she had betrayed me, I still loved her. Thinking that her death came at my own hands, I sobbed uncontrollably. After a few minutes of crying I felt a familiar, gentle hand pull me into their chest. "It's alright, my little vie," he whispered in my ear, trying to calm me, but nothing could. There was an inconsolable pain in my heart, and all I could do was cry. When he realized I wasn't going to stop any time soon, Nik gently picked me up and began walking home.

Elena's POV

Ever since Gene hit me I'd been contemplating what she said. I deserve to suffer more than anyone else? Why? All I try to do is help people? It's not my fault these things happen… Is it? "You can come out now. Seems your boys took care of the problem," Rebekah said snapping me out of my thoughts. "How did they do that?" "Damon turned your witch friend's mother into a vampire," Rebekah said with a smirk, causing my mouth to fall. "What?" I asked in shock. "Quite clever, actually. They needed to sever the witch line and, well, you can't be a witch and a vampire, usually. In any case, you're free to go. Oh and, uh, by the way, you were right. I do prefer taking my time watching you suffer. Much more satisfying," she said then left.

But only one thing was running through my head... It is my fault.

"She doesn't want to see you," Caroline told me as I stood in front of the Bennett house, asking to see Bonnie. "Please, just let me talk to her," I pleaded but she didn't budge. "Abby's in transition. It's going to be really hard over the next few days and if Bonnie needs some time to deal then I think you should give it to her." "She's always been there for me, Caroline. Please. Let me just be there for her too." Caroline sighed, "I'm sorry, Elena. I know that you want to help, but put yourself in her shoes. Everything that happened tonight was to save you," she said, confirming the thought that had been repeating in my head, "and that's okay because she loves you. So much. But somehow she's always the one who gets hurt." I sighed as my eyes watered and I struggled to keep them from falling. "You know, you're right. I just-just tell her that I love her, okay?" I said as my voice cracked and the tears began to fall freely. "Of course I will," she said with a sad smile.

Damon's POV

I was in my bathroom. Washing my hands. Wiping off Abby's blood. I turned her. My eyes were fixated on the red water that splashed around in the sink. When my hands were completely clean, I dried them then walked into my room to see Stefan sitting on my bed. Déjà vu. "Is she safe?" I asked. "Elijah kept his word. Rebekah let her go." "Good. All's right in the world again," I said with a smirk, trying to lighten the tense mood between us. Stefan didn't reply for a minute, just sat silently on my bed as I poured myself a drink. "I lost that coin toss, Damon." I looked up from my various glasses of alcohol and gave him an emotionless gaze. "It should have been me who turned Abby. Why did you do it?" he asked with conflicted eyes. For a moment I saw the little boy who used to cry after our father would hit me. But that was so long ago…

"I'm not blind. I see what's been going on around here. You're hanging by a thread, Stefan. Barely over your last ripper binge and all you want is to be the old Stefan again." "That part of me is gone for good," he said with a blank face, trying to play the emotionless ripper. But it was obvious in everything he did that he cared. "Oh yeah?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows at him. "How long has it been since you've had a drop of human blood?" At the mention of blood his emotionless face filled with sadness. "How'd you know?" "Spend 146 years with someone, you kind of start to pick up on their tells," I said sarcastically. "Answer the question. How long has it been since your last drink?" He was silent for a moment, almost as if he was trying not to think about something. But after a deep sigh he answered, "Since the night on Wickery Bridge."

Thinking about that night my anger spiked to unnerving levels. The thought of Gene's condition and Elena's emotional trauma… It sent me into frenzy. "See? You have enough to feel guilty about," I said through gritted teeth, trying to restrain myself from staking him in the chest. "Why add to the list? By the way, you're welcome." "You know, you're not fooling anyone either. You still love her, Damon," Stefan said as he stood up and walked towards me with a perplexed face. "I do," I said surprising him. "And I thought I could win her from you fair and square. She didn't want me. It's for the best. I'm better at being the bad guy anyway," I said with a fake smirk then turned and walked out of the room.

Klaus' POV

After placing Genevieve in bed she continued to cry for several minutes. "Don't leave me," she would whimper out as she held on tightly to my hand. The sight of her broke my heart. She always seemed so strong and happy that I forgot how fragile her heart could be. "My beautiful little vie…" I whispered as I ran my hand through her golden locks. She had fallen asleep. Her beautiful eyes were closed, her plump lips were slightly parted, and her small hands were rested on her stomach. She looked like an angel.

Looking down at her, I realized why I was so intrigued by Caroline. She reminded me of Genevieve. They both had soft, golden hair, clear, blue eyes. They were both strong, confident, happy, smart and charming. But where Caroline was bright, Genevieve was the sun. She was the brightest of lights in my darkest of nights. Thinking on it now, I realized how foolish I was in chasing Caroline.

Rebekah's POV

Arriving at the mansion, I was greeted with silence. Walking into the living room I saw only Elijah, looking out of the window with a sad face. "Where the bloody hell is everyone?" "It's over, Rebekah." "Where's Genevieve?" I asked walking over to the couch and sitting down. "She is asleep. The poor girl cried for ten minutes," Elijah said with a sigh and I felt sad as well. My poor Genevieve. Her compassion must be killing her. Seeing that Elijah wasn't moving from his spot at the window I grew a bit worried. "Elijah?" He didn't answer for a moment, and then turned to me with a conflicted face. "Mother was right."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I stood and walked closer to him. "My talk of virtue. When it suits my needs, I kill, maim, and torment. Even today, I terrorized an innocent," he said sadly, which confused me greatly. "Elena is hardly innocent. Genevieve herself said that she deserved it," I shouted. How could he think this? How could anyone? "I used your hatred of her to get what I wanted. Wielded you like I would a sword. My sister," he said giving me a sad smile as he lightly brushed his thumb across my cheek. "You did it to protect us, Elijah," I said sadly, hating the thought of my brother hurting over the wench. "Rightly so! We deserve to live! We are better than they are." "Are we? Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters, we did that to ourselves," he said then gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and left.

I stood there in shock for a moment then sighed. I walked towards Klaus' study where I heard the sound of a fire crackling. When I entered I saw him burning pictures that he'd drawn. What upset me though was what I saw on the pictures. Caroline. My eyes narrowed at my brother, who turned to me with a bored face. "I thought you'd have gone by now. Elijah's leaving. Kol's fled. Finn is gone too." "I hated you when I learned you killed our mother. But I realize now that after a thousand years together as a family, you're the only one who never left me." "Well, you can join Genevieve and my pair," he said with a smirk, causing me to roll my eyes.

"There's something I need you to see," I said pulling my phone from my pocket then pulling up the video I recorded of Elena. "Come to brag about your skills as a torturer," he joked causing me to shake my head dismissively. "Look at the images on the wall behind Elena. The Natives told the story of our family history, look at the images on the far wall." "What is it?" he asked boredly, which angered me, because he wasn't even paying attention. "A Native worshipping at the Great White Oak tree." "And? We burned that tree to the ground." "Look at the markings that precede it. That's the native calendar," I said pointing to my phone. When he finally took a look at it his smirk fell and his face filled with shock. "This can't be right." "A White Oak tree, 300 years after we fled back to the Old World. There must have been a sapling, a new tree to replace the old. That tree could kill us. It's not over, Nik."


	18. Chapter 17 - Home Alone

Gene's POV

Slowly I awoke from my sleep. I let out a small groan as I began to stretch my body, but immediately stopped when I felt an arm wrapped around my waist. Even in my half-asleep daze I knew who it belonged to. As I slowly turned around in his hold I smiled at the gorgeous, sleeping man in front of me. His pink lips were left partially open as he inhaled and exhaled, his beautiful blue eyes were hidden by his eyelids that lightly fluttered from dreaming. I wasn't tired anymore, but I also didn't want this amazing moment to end. So I just nuzzled my face into Nik's chest as I listened to the slow and steady beat of his heart.

I lay that way for around an hour, when Nik's slow breathing began to quicken as he woke. "Good morning," he groaned out as he rolled over, pulling me on top of him as well.

"Good morning, darling," I whispered as I leaned forward and placed a small peck on the corner of his lips. His tired eyes slowly opened as he smiled at me, causing my heart to flutter involuntarily. "How long have you been awake?" he asked me as he ran his hands over my back and sending shivers down my spine. "Not long." "So basically an hour," he said as he let out a booming laugh. He knows me so well, I thought as I smiled at the sound of his laugh. It was music to my ears.

"What's the plan for today?" I asked as I folded my arms over his chest and rested my chin on them. Nik stayed silent for a few moments, looking me over with a small smile on his face. I didn't say anything, just waited patiently with a smile of my own. "When was the last time you fed?" "Yesterday." "I didn't give you blood yesterday," Nik said with a raised brow as he looked at me with a confused face. I couldn't help but laugh as the sight of his confusion reminded me of a small puppy. "I drank a blood bag." "Well that doesn't sound appetizing." Before I could reply, Nik had flipped us over so that I was pinned underneath him. His beautiful eyes darkened with hunger as his smile turned into a flirtatious smirk. Knowing that he loves to be in control, and I love when he is, I lay still as he grabbed my two hands and pinned them above my head.

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING: MATURE MOMENT (16+) READ ONSKIP TO AFTER THE LINED SPACE**

Slowly Nik leaned forward. He stopped when his lips were a mere milimeter away from my own, and brushed them together lightly, teasingly. The feathery touches his lips left on my own sent shivers down my spine as I arched my back longingly. I was dying for his lips to be pressed against mine. I wanted to feel the burning passion that ignited every time he was near. After a moment more of teasing he pressed his lips gently to mine. The kiss was slow and gentle, but every ounce of love we felt was still there. Gradually the kiss became more passionate and heated as we desperately kissed each other.

My hands, which were still pinned above my head, clawed at his skin, earning me several groans of pain and pleasure from the man I love. With his free hand, Nik rubbed the skin on my thigh. Having his hands so close to my core sent a tingle of ecstasy running through me. A light chuckle from Nik let me know that he could sense my growing pleasure. Instead of dipping in between my thighs as I had been silently hoping, it slowly rose up the curves of my body, pulling my small nightgown up with it. When it was well over my stomach, Nik's kisses began to run down the curves of my jaw towards my neck.

Instead of continuing down the rest of my body, Nik's kiss lingered over a small, sensitive spot just above my collarbone. His kisses turned into small nibbles and licks as he teased my skin. "Nik," I moaned out in pleasure, earning me a low growl of arousal from deep within Nik's throat. Just as I was enjoying his teases he pierced his fangs through my skin. My back arched as my head rolled backwards in pleasure. I groaned as I reveled in the feeling of his tongue lightly flicking over my neck as he sucked in my blood. When he stopped he licked the wound then kissed me to allow me to taste the remnants of my blood in his mouth. He pulled away with a smirk, and with one fluid motion I flipped us over.

Now as I sat on his waist I could feel his arousal beneath my thighs, which only sent my level of pleasure skyrocketing. I smirked as I ground my hips against his and his eyes shut as he let out a low moan. With his head rolled back I leaned forward and left a light kiss just below his jaw line then sank my fangs into his skin. His hands gripped at my hips and pressed them down onto his as his blood flowed into my mouth. With his warm, delicious blood running down my throat, and the friction he was causing in between my thighs, I moaned deeply into his neck.

Finally having enough of his blood, I sat up on his waist as I licked my lips in joy. Nik's smirk was gone, but was now replaced by a dark light of sexual arousal and deep pleasure. Before I could move an inch he was pulling my night gown over my head, leaving me in my blue lace panties and bra. His hands hungrily roamed my body as I leaned back onto my hands that were placed behind me on his thighs. This was the most I've ever been exposed to him and although most would be shy, I felt perfectly normal. Being with him, even this exposed, I couldn't help but feel secure and loved. My eyes were closed when I was suddenly flipped onto my back, and opening my eyes I saw Nik pulling his shirt over his head. Seeing his toned torso I bit my lip to hold back from viciously attacking him with kisses, and I could see that Nik seemed to be holding himself back as well.

After throwing his shirt off to the side of the bed Nik leaned forward and captured my lips with his. Our kisses were passionate and desperate to have all of each other as my hands roamed his chest and back. His lips slowly made their way down my neck, but instead of staying there as they did last time, they continued down my neck to the space between my breasts. They kissed over the hill of my breasts, just above my bra, while he reached behind me and unclasped my bra. After unlooping it from my arms he carelessly tossed it aside as his lips captured one of my nipples and his hand teased and pulled at the other. I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment as I slowly undid his belt and the buttons to his jeans. With a deep chuckle he slid them off, leaving both of us in only our underwear.

Having enough of my nipples he continued to move down until he was kissing the line above my panties. My body shivered in anticipation as he hooked his thumbs through the band of my panties and slowly kissed down my thighs as he took them off. Throwing them aside as well, he slowly spread my legs as I patiently watched him lay kisses on my hips then down towards the inside of my thighs. His tongue slowly brushed over my entrance as he spread my legs open and I let out a quiet moan. Licking at my entrance one more time, Nik slowly positioned his middle finger in front of my entrance and slowly pushed it in as he licked my clit. I felt my core tighten in ecstasy as my hand grabbed onto his hair, my fingers weaving through his curls. Slowly he pumped his finger inside of me as he sucked on my clit and my grip on his hair tightened as my back arched in pleasure. After a moment of ecstasy, I pulled on his hair, signaling for him to rise up.

With a giant smirk on his face Nik kissed me, pushing his tongue inside my mouth in the process, but left his finger pumping inside of me. Our tongues explored each other's mouths as I let out small moans of pleasure. My hands were holding onto his back, holding him close to me, and desperately clawing into his skin to try and grip onto him. With a small grunt of pleasure Nik pulled his hand out from inside me and added another finger and began pumping at a faster pace. In response to the sudden change in thickness my nails dug deeper into his skin as I leaned my head back. "Nik, I need you," I moaned out as I looked deep into his eyes that sparked with a deep hunger at my words. "God, you're so beautiful," he whispered before softly kissing my lips and pulling down his underwear.

He positioned himself at my opening and with one swift motion he thrusted himself inside me. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips in that moment. A pleased smirk appeared on Nik's face as he placed one hand on my hips and the other on the headboard to steady himself. He began to slowly thrust in and out, which I enjoyed greatly, but something didn't feel quite right. Looking up at Nik's face I frowned when I saw he wasn't looking at me but seemed as if he was focusing on the headboard. Leaning my head back to look at it, the headboard was cracking. "Nik, stop that," I said with a light smack to his chest. He looked down at me in shock and his thrusts stopped. That's when I realized. "Are you trying to be careful?" I asked with a confused face and giggled when a small blush appeared on his cheeks. Nik collapsed on top of me and nuzzled his face in between my breasts, making me giggle again from the tickling sensation I got from his scruff. "I don't want to harm you," he mumbled into my chest as I lightly ran my hand through his golden curls. "Well then," I said before flipping us over so that I was straddling him with his erection still inside me. "Let me handle this," I said with a teasing smirk as I began moving my hips and down. My head instinctively rolled back in ecstasy. Nik's hands were gripping onto my hips and after a few moments of my steady pace he began to pull my hips down to meet his own.  
>Moans began to pour out of my mouth at the amazing sensation caused by Nik's increasing eagerness. And soon, he was pulling me down and moving his hips to pound into me even deeper. It was all I could do to breath through the immense pleasure I was feeling and soon I was putty in his hands as Nik controlled the movement of my hips. Tiring from not having enough control, Nik flipped us over again. I was laying on my back, legs spread, Nik in between them as he continued to pound me. My head was swimming with pleasure as my eyes rolled back. I was about to let out another moan when I felt his lips on mine. Our kisses were desperate, moans muffeled, as our tongues fought for dominance.<p>

Slowly, I felt my pleasure reaching its climax, and Nik could sense it as well. Nik began to pound inside me at a quicker pace, his hands began to tease my nipples, and his mouth kissed and sucked on my sensitive spot. Finally I felt myself reaching my climax, and my back arched as a loud moan escaped my lips. Letting out a shaky breath, I took in a few deep breaths before I felt Nik pull out. I immediately sat up and got onto my knees as he placed his swollen membrane in front of me. My hand went out and slowly stroked it as I looked up into Nik's eyes. Breaking eye contact, he rolled his head back as he let out a moan and I took that opportunity to put his membrane in my mouth. My hand moved to his balls, cradling and massaging them gently as my head bobbed back-and-forth. My pace was slow, but with each bob I placed more of him in my mouth, until I slowly deep throated all of him. His moan went from low to a loud moan of joy as I felt a warm liquid squirt into my throat. I kept him in my mouth, moving my tongue around his membrane as I swallowed the cum that was in my mouth.

With a sigh of pleasure, I pulled my head back as I looked up at Nik's eyes and licked my lips. Quickly licking off the remaining cum from his membrane I stood up and placed a small kiss on the corner of his lips.

"Shall we take a shower?" Nik asked as he placed one arm behind my back and the other under my legs as he gently carried me into our bathroom. He carefully place me on the edge of the tub as he walked to the glass door of the shower and turned it on. After a moment of waiting for the water to warm he grabbed my left hand and kissed my ring finger, just below the engagement ring he had given me. "Your shower awaits my little vie," he said with a gentleman-ly bow as I stood from my sitting position. "Well we mustn't keep it waiting," I said with a giggle as he led me into the steamy glass box.

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><p>After showering, Nik and I decided to stay in today and just spend time together. With everything that's been going on lately, we haven't had a day to ourselves. So here we sat in the living room trying to figure out what to do today. "Well I have something I would like to show you. Afterwards, we can do anything you would like." "Okay," I said with a smile as Nik grabbed my hand and led me to his study. "Close your eyes," he instructed with a teasing tone as he left me standing in the middle of the room. I covered my eyes with my hands as I heard Nik open the closet and pull out something wrapped with paper. Nik's footsteps moved forward to stand in front of me when he excitedly said, "Open." When I did I saw a small rectangle, the size of an eight and a half by eleven paper, wrapped in parchment. "Can I open it?" I asked in excitement as I impatiently waited for Nik to answer. "Of course," he said through a loud chuckle, but he didn't have to tell me twice. I immediately sped forward and ripped the parchment off.<p>

My mouth and eyes widened in shock at the beautiful drawing that Nik held. It was a drawing of me with white, feathery wisps around me like wings. "Now you know how I see you. You're my angel," he said with the most innocent smile I've ever seen. I could see every ounce of love he felt for me and it made my heart flutter. Carefully grabbing the framed drawing, I placed it on Nik's desk then turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You are amazing," I whispered as I pulled his head down and kissed his lips gently.

After looking over the drawing some more, then finally got an idea of what we could do for the day. "Let's have a movie night."

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><p>Nik and I both scavenged through the kitchen, grabbing any snack food we could find. When we finally had enough snacks (a bag of lays, doritos, cheetos, skittles, resces, a pack of chips a'hoy cookies and oreos) we filled three large cups with coke, dr. pepper, and water. We then carried it all, very carefully, to the movie room.<p>

"What shall we watch?" Nik asked as he grabbed three folding tables to put everything on. "These," I said holding up the first six Harry Potter movies. Nik's smile slowly fell when he saw the movies, causing mine to fall as well. "You don't like Harry Potter?" I asked incredulously and frowned when he shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't seen them," he said nonchalantly, but my mouth fell. How is it possible to have not seen Harry Potter? "You're in for a life-changing event, my darling," I said as I took at the first disc and put it into the DVD player.

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><p>Six movies later and Nik could not stop talking about his favorite moments of each movie. He just rambled on excitedly as I listened with a bright smile on my face. I sat silently as I listened to Nik speak and after he had finally calmed down he sat back on the seat next to me. I let out a small giggle as I scooted closer to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. We had started watching the movies at around 8:30am and being that all six movies is 15 and a half hours, it is now midnight. I was exhausted, even though we really didn't do anything, and I could see that Nik was as well.<p>

"Bed?" I asked Nik as he looked down at me with a smile. He chuckled lightly then nodded his head as he gently scooped me into his arms and began to walk up to our room.

He lightly placed me on my feet, and I walked to the side of the bed where my night gown still laid on the floor. I quickly slipped off my clothes, throwing them in the hamper instead of on the floor, then jumped into bed. Nik followed suit, and immediately pulled me into his chest. We weren't quite tired enough to fall asleep, so we just lay there in silence. After a moment of hesitation, I got up the courage to ask him what I've been meaning to for a while. "Do you… want to have children?" I whispered quietly, fearing the answer, yet dying to hear it. He didn't reply for a long while, worrying me greatly, but instead he rolled on top of me. I looked up at him in confusion, not sure what was going to happen, but calmed down when I saw his eyes. They were conflicted. His eyes were sad, happy, angry. I didn't know what to make of them.

Leaning down to give me one small kiss, he rolled back off of me and pulled me back into his chest. "I don't think that would be a good idea," he mumbled in a sad tone. My heart instantly broke into a million pieces, and my eyes began to water, but I would not cry. I nodded my head slightly then rolled over and face my back towards him. I didn't want him to see how emotional I was over his answer, but of course he knew. He rolled over as well, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling my back into his chest. "I'm sorry, my little vie," he said as he nuzzled his head in my neck and gave me a gentle squeeze. We remained that way for a long moment, until sleep finally consumed me.


	19. Chapter 18 - The White Oak Caper

I'm sorry guys! I completely forgot to update!

To Eire,

I am so sorry I didn't update before you lost your internet. If there's any problems with it next time you can message me and maybe we can work something out :)

Read on my lovely Nene shippers x

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><p>Quiet. The room was dead silent. I immediately frowned when I realized what that meant. Slowly opening my eyes, I stretched my tired limbs and let out a sigh. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and looked down sadly at the empty space next to me on the bed. He left. Of course he left. I let out another sigh, then got up from the bed and made my way to the closet to grab an outfit. I quickly made my way to the shower to get cleaned up and put on my outfit afterward. Then I sped out of the house and made my way to the boarding house.<p>

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><p>When I got to the boarding house I saw Elena's car sitting in the driveway. I immediately thought that her and Damon might be having a moment, and if they were I definitely was not going inside. But when I listened carefully I only heard the sounds of Stefan and Elena's voices. By the time I had walked in, Elena was listening to something Stefan was saying and it seemed things were going to end. "Samantha Gilbert was committed to an insane asylum, she tried to give herself a lobotomy with a knitting needle, and bled to death on the floor of her cell. If the same thing is happening to Alaric then there is nothing you can do." I froze in my spot, shocked at what I was hearing and by how much I missed in one day. "Okay, well, I'm gonna let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing," Elena said dismissively and turned to walk out the front door, but when she saw me she jumped in shock. "Jesus!" she yelled putting a hand to her chest, her heart beating wildly in her chest, causing me to let out a giggle.<p>

"Gene!" she yelled as she walked over to me and tried to smack me. "You scared the crap out of me," she muttered as I blocked all her swings. "Sorry," I said through laughter as she rolled her eyes and stomped out of the door. I watched her leave then turned to Stefan and my smile fell. He was standing with a sad look on his face, blood bag in hand. "Steffie?" I asked quietly, and it seemed that he just remembered I was here. Seeing the struggle in his eyes, I felt a slight ache in my heart. I immediately ran over and pulled the bag out of his hands and hugged him. He slowly raised his arms to wrap around me, and we simply stood there in each other's arms in silence. "Let me help you," I whispered into his chest, making his gentle hold on me tighten. His hold almost felt painful. Almost. Without saying a word, Stefan grabbed the blood bag from my hand and walked off.

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><p>Damon's POV<p>

After picking up Ric and Meredith we went to the construction site for the Wickery Bridge. There was a large crowd of people, many reporters for the crappy little newspaper in town, and a table set out with snacks. When we stepped out of the car I noticed that Rebekah was speaking to Mayor Lockwood. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as Alaric and Meredith both walked up beside me, "Rebekah's up to something. She's been snooping around in places she shouldn't be." "Tell me again, why are we here?" Ric asked in a whiney tone, causing me to roll my eyes. "Ric, the world can't stop just because you're an accidental psycho killer." "Do you have any tact whatsoever?" Meredith asked in an exasperated tone as she let out a sigh.

I turned to respond when I noticed Carol walking over to us from the corner of my eye. "Alaric, I'm glad you're here. Did you bring the sign?" Meredith and I looked over at Alaric in confusion, only to see a similar look of confusion on his face as well. "The restored Wickery Bridge sign. The history department promised me you'd have it today," Carol said with a panicked look on her face as she noticed that Alaric was clueless and signless. " I-I don't have the sign actually it slipped…it slipped my mind. I've been….. busy," he stammered trying to cover over his mistake, but Mayor Lockwood just swatted away his lame attempt. "Well, it's not an emergency. We'll just um- unveil it when the bridge is complete," she said then gave a polite smile and left.

"Get me out of here," Alaric mumbled to Meredith who nodded her head and grabbed his hand, already beginning to leave, "My pleasure." "I'm gonna stick around for a bit," I said to the two lovebirds who had completely forgotten about me and left anyway. Looking around my eyes froze on a beautiful auburn haired women that was standing with her back to me. When she noticed I had spotted her she gave me a flirty smile over her shoulder. Just as I slowly began making my way over to her, Carol began to give a speech that I definitely was not paying attention to. "Damon Salvatore," she said when I finally made it to her side, "my favorite student." "Sage, my hottest teacher," I said with a smirk then turned to her with curious eyes. "What are you doing here?" "I'm just passing through." "Oh, come on, nobody just passes through Mystic Falls," I said with a disbelieving face.

Sage was about to answer when Rebekah walked up to us. "Look what the cat dragged in," she said as she kept her narrowed eyes on Sage, who was glaring back just as strongly. "Easy there, Rebekah. You know she use to beat men for sport," I said jokingly, but also with a hint of a warning. Rebekah rolled her eyes at my warning then continued to glare daggers at Sage. "She always was quite common." "Rebekah. What a happy surprise," Sage said in a forced happy tone that changed Rebekah's glare to a scowl. Clearly she wasn't pleased. "What are you doing here Sage?" she said boredly and Sage sighed and decided to finally get to the point. "Well, I heard Finn was finally freed from that casket your rageaholic brother Klaus carted him around in." "Mmm, Finn, you just missed him. He left town and didn't tell a soul where he was going." "He probably went looking for me," Sage said with a slight arrogant tone that didn't faze me or Rebekah. That was honestly the farthest thing from the truth. "Or quite possibly he forgot all about you." "I doubt that." "No? Cause he didn't seem to mention you. Sorry you came all this way for nothing. Have a nice life," Rebekah said with a smirk then left us standing there alone. "God, I hate that elitist Original bitch," Sage said to me causing my confused face to morph into a smirk.

* * *

><p>Sage and I were now walking through the forest, catching up on old times. "Finn, really?" I asked with an incredulous face as I shook my head. She sighed with a giant smile on her face then turned to me, "He's my one true love. He turned me so we could be together forever. Then Klaus daggered him and locked him away and I've been waiting ever since. Please don't tell me that you and Rebekah are friends," she said with narrowed eyes, causing me to laugh. "Not unless you count hate sex." "Good, cause her and Klaus always treated me like some peasant whore." Am I supposed to care, I thought to myself then turned to her like nothing was wrong. "Ah, she's just lurking around because she wants something from me. Can't figure out what it is though." "Why don't you get inside her head and find out?" she asked as if it was the easiest and most simple thing I could do, but it wasn't. "Cause it's impossible. She's too strong." "I bet I could get in there," she said with a teasing smirk, but I didn't believe it. "Sage, she's an Original, it's not gonna happen." "Have you forgotten everything I taught you?" she asked as she leaned in close to my ear in a sultry whisper, "Rebekah may be an Original, but she's a girl. You find her weakness and exploit it and I'll walk right in. That is if you want my help."<p>

* * *

><p>I eagerly walked out of the forest and looked around for Rebekah. When I found her standing in front of the food table I smirked and quietly walked up behind her. "Did I ever tell you you're sexy when you're bitchy?" I whispered into her ear, but she didn't seem fazed. "We're talking now, are we? Cause you were quite rude the other day, using me to help you with Stefan and then shooing me away like a stray dog." "Oh, but that was brother business, you can't hold that against me. Besides I really did appreciate your help even if I don't show it." "You were mean," she said flatly and I knew I had to try harder. Everything I'm saying was falling on deaf ears, but I knew way too well how to get into a women's mind. "You like mean," I said with a smirk and she simply turned to me with a bored face. "No, I don't." "No? You didn't get a thrill back there pushing Sage down, crushing her dreams of true love?" She was silent for a moment then sighed and nodded her head. "Maybe a little."<p>

"See? Mean," I said with a pleased smirk then began to carefully draw her in. "Can Sage and I interest you in a drink back at the house?" "Not a chance in hell." "Well, you know what they say, two's company, three's a party." She stared at me, unwavering, emotionless. I stared back at her, but after a minute I 'gave in'. "Fine," I said putting my drink down and slowly leaning into Rebekah's ear, brushing my hand seductively against her hips. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After Stefan had ran away from me I gave him some space. I knew that he was struggling, and I knew what it felt like, so I just left it alone. I was sitting on the couch playing with my phone in boredom when it hit me. Blood. A lot of it. Not fresh, but bagged. I immediately ran down to the basement where I saw Stefan downing bag after bag of blood. "Stefan?!" I yelled in shock as I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. Ten minutes later and I had completely given up on trying to make him stop, so I sat quietly behind him with my head leaning against his back.

"Oh, come on. Slow down, brother," I heard Damon say, waking me from my half-asleep state. Almost too easily for me to comprehend, Damon just walked over and took the blood bag out of Stefan's hands, and he stopped. "Control, remember? Doesn't matter whether it's blondes or blood bags, same principles apply." "What did you say to Elena this morning?" "Oh, you're stress eating. Sublimating. You two deserve each other with all your pining and moping," Damon teased and with one swift motion Stefan was standing and moving towards Damon. "I asked you a question, Damon." "I told her what she already knows. You're a vampire and you drink human blood and to get over it," Damon said angrily as he closed the freezer. "Which is the same thing I'm telling you. Own it, live it, love it. Stop being ashamed of who you are."

Damon was about to leave when Stefan grabbed his arm and pulled him to face us again. "Do me a favor, Damon. Next time you talk to Elena, keep me out of it, okay?" "Gladly. Now, unless you're interested in a Sage-Rebekah sex sandwich, I suggest you make yourself scarce," Damon said with a smirk and I immediately groaned. "Gross," I muttered as Stefan smirked and grabbed my hand to lead me out of the house.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

Sage and I were lounging around in the library, a beautiful piano medley playing, as I uncorked a bottle of wine. The moment was peaceful, but all I could think of was how much better Gene's playing sounded. "Remember this song?" Sage asked with a sly smirk on her face, but it wasn't working. We had put this all together to get into Rebekah's mind, but she wasn't here. After popping the cork off the wine bottle I turned to Sage with a bored face, "Alright Miss Master Seductress, where's our victim?" I poured us wine just as she let out a small chuckle. "Patience. Between her craving for affection and her pathological fear of being left alone, our little get together is too tempting to resist." I rolled my eyes and took a drink of my wine, watching as Sage walked over to the pianist and bit into his wrist.

She fed on him for a few minutes, me watching her, when I blurted out, "Finn's gone, you know." At the mention of her missing lover she stopped feeding and seemed to be trying to fight off an oncoming wave of doubt. Her inner turmoil was apparent in her eyes as I watched and waited for her reaction. "I choose to believe otherwise." "He strung you along for 900 years, didn't bother to call, he's gone." "You know, the Damon I knew was holding out for someone too," she said grabbing her wine and taking a small sip. Hearing her bring up the past angered me. All those years I spent trying to help a woman who didn't need saving... All those years I wasted… With a sigh I said, "Yes, he was. Hope's a bitch, Sage. Get out while you can."

Just as I was about to take a sip of my wine the doorbell rang throughout the house and my bored eyes widened in shock. "The sweet chime of desperation," Sage said with a smirk and right after, Rebekah walked into the room with a bottle of wine in her hands. "I stole it from Nik who stole it from a Queen. Not sure which one," she said to herself in thought, then looked around the room. She seemed a bit disappointed at what she saw. "Well this is depressing. What happened to the party?" Sage stood from her seat next to the pianist and made her way over to Rebekah, who eyed her carefully. With a flirty smile, Sage took the bottle of wines from Rebekah and leaned in to her ear to whisper, "It just arrived."

Sage uncorked the bottle of wine, taking a long swig from it then pulled me towards the middle of the room where we began dancing. I could see that Sage only wanted to entice Rebekah's interest, so I obliged and danced along. Even though the plan was to get her dancing, Rebekah stayed standing as she watched us. After a minute of staring she turned her attention to the pianist and made her way over to him. Sage gave me a small head gesture to tell me to sit with her, so I turned and saw Rebekah feeding from the pianist's neck. "How bout a duet?" I asked with a smirk as I took the seat on the opposite side of the pianist and bit into his wrist. We both fed hungrily as Sage watched. After a few minutes of drinking him dry we pushed the dead man onto the floor as we wiped the blood from our lips.

I realized it was time to make my move, so I scooted closer to Rebekah and gently grabbed her face. Looking deep into her eyes and down at her lips I caressed her cheek to get her to fall for my charm. We were slowly moving our faces close together, and just before we kissed she hesitated. "What about her?" she asked as she stared unhappily at Sage. But I didn't so much as glance at the auburn-haired woman before shaking my head. "I don't want her. I want you." That seemed to please Rebekah because she put her hand on my chest and allowed me to go in for the kiss.

* * *

><p>After about 30 minutes of sex, Rebekah fell fast asleep in my bed. We were both completely naked under my sheets. I lay awake, lost in thought, when Sage finally came in. With a silent nod she walked over to the bed and sat beside Rebekah to prepare to jump into her mind. All she did was place a hand on Rebekah's head, then a wide smile appeared on her face. "What?" I mouthed, scared to wake Rebekah. With a nod of her head, she gestured for me to follow her towards the bathroom she began to walk and take off her clothes. My eyes immediately began to wander her ivory skin as a smirk graced my lips.<p>

I carefully stepped out of my bed and followed after her and watched in joy as the water showered down on her. "I take it back, your plan is amazing," I said as I stepped into the shower with her, my eyes never leaving her amazingly sexy body. "I told you if you got her comfortable enough, she's an open book." I smirked seductively as I stepped closer to Sage, "Well, are you gonna torture me or are you gonna tell me what she's up to?" "I'd rather show you," she said then pulled my head down to kiss me.

We had been kissing for a few minutes when she finally allowed the memory she saw in Rebekah's head to flow into mine. When I did I pulled back in shock. I stared at her smiling face blankly, then a mischievous smirk appeared. "There's another tree."

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><p>After carefully searching through the old Salvatore milling records, I figured out that the white oak tree was cut down and used to make the Wickery Bridge. Once I realized that, I quickly burnt all evidence. As I was doing so Sage walked in. "Rebekah just left." "Happy, I hope." "Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked curiously and I nodded my head slightly. "Yep. 1912, the Salvatore milling company chopped down a forest, its most valuable wood came from an old white oak tree that was used to make the Wickery Bridge. These aren't public records, so Rebekah's gonna chase her tail for a long time," I admitted stupidly. "So all the wood stripped from the underside of that bridge is basically a weapon that could kill an Original?" "Yep."<p>

"You see how this could be a problem for me, right?" she asked as she slowly approached me. That's when I realized my mistake. She was still chasing after her original lover. She wasn't going to let me get that wood. "Why? Because of your true love Finn? Let me tell you something, I met the guy, you're not gonna miss him." At my insult she let out a low growl and rushed at me, "I will rip your head off in two seconds if you take one more step." "Alright," I said soothingly as I gently grabbed her hand and removed it from my throat. "Let's make a deal. You let me kill Rebekah, I consider Finn untouchable, you guys walk into the sunset together." "Is that a promise?" she asked hesitantly and with a single smirk I replied, "Yes. It's a promise."

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of getting ready to go grab the wood from the bridge I walked into the library looking for Sage. "Sage, let's go, we have Originals to kill," I shouted, only to be met by silence. I listened carefully throughout the house, and she wasn't here. "Sage."<p>

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><p>Gene's POV<p>

After Stefan ditched me to go chase after Elena, and Xander left town again, I decided to wander around the woods. I had been walking around peacefully when I heard the sound of a crackling fire and Damon's voice. I immediately began to run towards what I now realized was Wickery Bridge. When I arrived I saw Damon rushing at some auburn-haired chick and grabbing her throat viciously. "I should end you," he growled out, but she was unfazed. "I'm 900 years old, Damon. You're not capable of ending me," she said before pushing Damon and throwing him down on the car.

Anger instantly filled my body as I sped forward and grabbed the woman by her hair. "What the hell?" she screamed in shock as she tried to fight my hold. I giggled in amusement as I turned her around to face me. "Hey there," I said with an evil smirk as she looked at me in confusion. "Who the hell are you?" "I'm Genevieve Salvatore, Damon's little sister." Her shock immediately fell as I could see that she believed she was at an advantage. Boy, was she in for a surprise. "Damon, who's the slut?" I asked as he dusted himself off. He seemed to be grumbling to himself about being saved by his baby sister. "Sage. Finn's lover," he said in distaste, but my eyes sparked with joy.

"Really? Finn never mentioned you," I said letting go of her face and putting my hands on my hips. Her anger had spiked, and I knew I hit a nerve. "I guess it's a one-sided thing, since he was so willing to sacrifice himself to Esther." "Finn loves me!" she yelled angrily as she pulled her hand back and tried to punch me. With one swift movement I dodged her hit and giggled at the shock on her face. "Oh, honey, you actually think you could hurt me. How sweet," I teased and her anger escalated to drastic proportions. She began lunging and swinging at me viciously, but with each of her movements I reciprocated with a dodge.

After about ten minutes of dodging her attacks Damon grew irritated from watching us. "Gene, come on this is boring." "Okay, I'll finish it," I said sweetly and giggled at the anger in Sage's eyes. She was genuinely shocked that she couldn't land a blow, seeing as I was almost 700 years younger than her. "Damon's bored, and frankly, so am I. So I'll have to end our game," I said with a smirk as I let my witch face show. The white's of my eyes slowly turned to a dark black as the color fell from Sage's face. "What are you?" she whispered in fear and I simply smirked. "Your worst nightmare."

* * *

><p>After knocking out Sage, Damon left back to the Boarding House. I was going to follow him, but I decided to find Stefan instead, knowing he was probably stalking Elena. I know he loves her, but he is being too desperate.<p>

I was slowing walking up the steps of Elena's house when I heard Alaric's voice from inside. I didn't think anything of it, but when I actually payed attention to what he was saying, it seemed all wrong. There was something… evil about the way he was speaking. "You are a council member. And the council was formed to protect the people of this town from vampires and yet, here you all are, just looking the other way, ignoring your responsibilities. Like you and your vampire blood. So I'm asking you, do you ever feel remorse? Because you should." At that point I was leaning against the front door listening in. I was utterly confused by the situation. That is, until I heard Meredith scream. Without even thinking, I ran inside and saw Meredith running into the living room clutching at her side. I didn't need to look to know she was bleeding profusely.

"Meredith!" I yelled and she looked up at me in shock. Her eyes had filled with relief when she saw me, but that didn't stop her from running. Behind her I saw Alaric carrying a large kitchen knife, and my heart ached. This wasn't the Alaric I knew. He was crazed. I jumped in front of him to stop him from going at Meredith and was shocked when he swung the knife at me. Even though I dodged, he managed to cut my neck. The cut began to gush blood immediately and I saw Meredith hesitate to leave me. "Don't stop running," I shouted as I punched Alaric in the stomach, momentarily stopping him, then ran after her.

We had made it into Elena's bathroom and locked two of the three doors it had. But when we were about to lock the last one, Ric appeared and put his arm in the door to stop us. Meredith immediately began to push him out of the way as I used all my strength to hold the door and get it closed. Although I was strong, I had lost a lot of blood from my cut, and I didn't exactly want to slam the door on Ric's arm. "Hold him for a second," Meredith shouted as she walked behind me then reappeared with scissors in her hands. Before I could protest, she stabbed the scissors through Ric's hand. He screamed in pain, causing me to whimper a bit from guilt at having hurt Ric, but retracted his arm from the doorway.

When he did I immediately shut the door and locked it. Meredith had collapsed in front of the sink and was clutching at her bleeding side, while I sat against the door holding my neck. Being this close to a bleeding human, and having lost a lot of blood, my throat began to burn with thirst and my breathing became ragged. "Gene, are you alright?" Meredith asked between heavy breathing of her own. I didn't speak. I just nodded my head, afraid that if I used my voice my throat would burn with hunger even more. All I could think was, I hope someone finds us soon.

* * *

><p>It felt like hours later, when I finally sensed someone approaching the house. And with a painful sigh of relief, I began to relax. Meredith did as well, so I just assumed she understood what my sigh meant. "Hey there," I heard Ric say from downstairs and my heart stopped for a second. This could either go two ways. One, Ric was back to himself and we would get help. Two, Ric was still crazy and whoever was here was going to be attacked. "Hi. Where's Meredith?" I heard Elena ask, making my nervousness worse. I could sense Stefan in the house as well, so I was taking his silence as though he knew something was up. "Oh, she got called into the hospital for a last minute surgery, but she'll be back later," Ric said cheerfully, but I immediately knew. He was still coo-coo in the head.<p>

It was silent for a moment until I heard Elena's worried voice, "What happened?" "Oh, I–I broke a coffee cup and sliced my hand open trying to pick up the pieces. Did Stefan catch up with you?" "No." I let out another sigh of relief. They weren't falling for it. Meredith seemed to sense my relief and was about to open her mouth to speak, but I immediately raised my finger to my lip to shush her. She nodded her head slowly and I could see the worry in her eyes, which I knew showed in mine.

"Yeah, well my place is a bit of a disaster. I guess I'll just have to go get it." It was silent again. Then I heard the sounds of a struggle from downstairs. My heart began to race in my chest when I heard Elena scream, "Don't hurt him!" In my mind I hoped she was telling that to Stefan and not Ric. My worries were settled when Stefan was the one to answer. "I'm trying not to." Silence… "Elena, I need you to come upstairs with me," Stefan said with a worried voice and I finally let myself relax.

As they made their way up the stairs I scooted myself away from the door to sit next to Meredith. Her blood was enticing, but I wouldn't succumb to hunger.

Stefan and Elena had finally made it in front of the door, and Stefan easily broke it down. Elena shrieked in shock when she saw Meredith and I all bloodied up, but Stefan immediately stepped away. He was struggling with the scent of Meredith's blood, and I could see that it took all his strength not to bite her. "Hey, are you okay?" Elena asked worriedly as she kneeled in front of us. "I'm fine, worry about Meredith," I said raggedly. Stefan battled his inner vampire for a minute as his face changed from vampire then back to normal. He then bit his wrist and fed his blood to Meredith. "You're gonna be okay," Elena said soothingly to her as Stefan grabbed my hand and helped me up. We both walked out of the bathroom in silence, his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me standing, and Elena stayed with Meredith.

* * *

><p>Stefan and I had slowly walked to the Boarding House. I didn't want to run, and refused to let him carry me, so instead we both walked at a human pace. When we finally arrived I went straight to the basement to grab a blood bag, and Stefan went into the library to drink. After downing a blood bag and throwing away the trash I went into the library. Stefan was sitting on a couch with a glass in hand. His eyes were glazed over in thought, reminding me so much of our father. I stared at him for a good 10 minutes, thinking about the resemblance between the two of them, until Stefan snapped me out of my daze by looking over at me. "You okay," he asked with a frown on his face. His worry made me smile slightly. "Yeah," I whispered out as I slowly walked over to him. When I was standing in front of him I put my hand in his hair and just let my fingers caress the soft strands.<p>

It soothed me to play his and Damon's hair. It always has. And when I did it Stefan and Damon both closed their eyes and enjoyed the feeling. After a few minutes of just running my fingers through his golden hair, that once matched mine, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. "When you do that it reminds me of mother," he whispered out. The mention of our mother made my eyes glaze with tears, but I also couldn't help but smile. "She used to do that when Damon and I couldn't sleep," he said with a small smile. "Can you sing the song?" His voice was hesitant. He wasn't sure if I would break out into tears at the request, but I could tell he really wanted to hear it. "Of course," I whispered happily.

Instead of sitting in his lap like I usually would, I sat myself on the floor in front of his legs and laid my head in his lap. This time he began to play with my hair as I softly sang our mother's lullaby. (Safe and Sound by Madilyn Bailey)

When I finished I found myself beginning to doze off. "I think I'm going to crash here for the night," I mumbled sleepily as I slowly stood from the floor. Stefan laughed at me then got up from his seat and placed his glass down. Before I could even say goodnight, Stefan had picked me up into his arms and began walking to my room. "I could have walked," I mumbled into his neck as I hugged him. "Well I wanted to carry my baby sister to bed," he said with a smile, causing me to sigh. No use arguing now.

* * *

><p>After Stefan had dropped me off in my room I texted Nik that I was staying over. I could have easily gone home, but I was also still mad at him. And when he didn't reply to my text, I was even madder. In order to just forget about everything I instantly fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p>I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up I heard Stefan and Damon plotting. My mind instantly went blank however, when I heard Damon say, "Historical signs made of the same white oak as the Wickery Bridge." "They think all the wood burned," Stefan said with a hint of amusement in his voice, but I wasn't listening anymore. White oak. They found white oak.<p>

Before I could even think of anything else, I jumped out my window and ran home.

* * *

><p>"Nik!" I yelled as I immediately set foot inside the mansion. My breathing was ragged and uneven, but I didn't have time to stop. I needed to find him. He needs to know.<p>

I was walking frantically towards the stairs when he appeared in front of me with worried eyes. "What's wrong, my little vie?" When I saw him I broke. I ran into his arms, clutching onto his shirt and cried. "I can't lose you," I whimpered out through sobs. He was shocked at my tears, but immediately wrapped his arms around me. "You won't, my darling. I'll always be here," he whispered soothingly in my ear. Even though just being in his arms was relaxing, I couldn't stop the flood of tears that were streaming down my cheeks. My own brothers wanted to kill the man that I am madly in love with. All because of a stupid human. It's always love over me. It never matters how hurt I am, as long as it helps their love.

"Nik…" I whispered shakily, my tears finally stopping. I gripped onto his shirt tightly, trying to steady my out of control emotions. "Genevieve," Nik whispered lovingly as he placed his hand on my chin and made me look into his eyes. Oh those eyes… My heart melted at how beautiful they are… Taking in a deep breath I gave him a sad smile and whispered out my worries. "They have white oak." When he heard what I said, his arms pulled me into his chest and hugged me tightly. He seemed to be fighting back a fit of rage for my sake, and it made me smile and feel a bit better. After a moment of silently holding me he let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Genevieve. I won't let them kill me. No matter what it takes."


	20. Chapter 19 - Broken Aliances

Damon's POV

Ric and Stefan stood behind me in silence as I carefully listened to the approaching foot steps. Slowly, they made their way up the stairs and then there was a knock. Without a moment's hesitation I opened the door a small crack and stood in front of it to keep the pesky brown-haired beauty from seeing inside. "Morning sunshine." "Hey, how's Alaric?" Elena asked as she tried to step inside, but I closed the door tighter around me. "Indecent. But fine." "So then, does that mean there were no issues last night?" "Nope. Slept like a baby, woke up Alaric. No head minds about dead council members," I continued with my same flirtatious smirk but Elena didn't seem to be believing a word. "Then why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?" "Well, maybe because you're being all paranoid and control freaky. What'd you bring me?" I asked snatching the basket from her hands and taking a slow sniff. It smelled delicious, but she wasn't giving in so easily. "Ooo, chocolate muffins. You know what they say; a way to a psycho killer's heart is through his stomach."

"They're not for you," she said after snatching the basket away from me. "Fine. Keep convincing yourself you're still mad at me. But sadly, Ric's gonna have to miss Elena time today. You know lockdown and all." "Just take it and give it to him and tell him that I miss him, okay?" she said while handing me back the basket and letting out a sigh. "With pleasure." "Please."

I nodded my head as I shut the door and gave Alaric a knowing smirk. Holding up a finger I listened carefully and began to narrate Elena's movements. "Walking down the stairs, opening the front door, and she's gone," I said then walked over to them. Stefan and Ric were standing in front of a mechanical saw with the White Oak Wickery Bridge sign. As soon as I said she was gone Ric turned it on and began to cut the sign into pieces. From there, Stefan and I were whittling them into stakes. "This needs to have a sharper point," Stefan said as he examined one then handed it back to me.

"I got it." "We finally have our own stakes to kill an Original. I'm not gonna miss because you can't whittle." "I said I got it. Stop micromanaging," I grumbled in annoyance as I began to whittle the stake into a sharper point. "Looks like you guys have got this under control. I'm gonna call the Sheriff." Hearing that, Stefan and I both turned to look at him in confusion. "I want to turn myself in." "No you don't." "I have a homicidal alter ego. Unlike some people in this room, I would like to take responsibility for the people I've killed." "If you wanted to turn yourself in, you wouldn't be saying it out loud. Just saying," I said with a shrug and and when I looked at Stefan he seemed unmoved.

"Hey, listen, out of all the people you cannot psychoanalyze me. I killed Caroline's father; I nearly killed Meredith. Everything's changed." I had given up on trying to convince Ric, but Stefan on the other hand, hadn't. "Look, you're not turning yourself in. Bonnie's herbs are working and we have Originals to kill," he said with a serious face and Ric seemed shocked hearing him say it. He turned to me with a confused face and I just shrugged again, "His morals get very questionable when he has revenge on the brain." "Klaus needs to die," Stefan continued on, as if Ric and I hadn't just been discussing his odd morals. "We finally have the chance to kill him, so you are not turning yourself in." I let out a sigh, and stood from my seat on Ric's couch then walked over to him, grabbing the ring in the process. When I stood in front of him I outstretched my hand, holding the ring up to him. "Here's your ring, Ric. Put it on." "That ring is the reason I've killed people," he said with a face so confused I had to hold back a laugh. With a slight smirk I said, "It's also the reason you're alive. You're going vampire hunting, Ric. Wear it."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

"Alaric Saltzman killed my father?" Caroline asked in a voice painted with various emotions. She was hurt, angry, sad, shocked, worried. Poor Caroline. "I can't expect you to be okay with this. But at least these herbs that Bonnie's giving him, they're healing him and they're keeping the dark side buried." "Yeah, and that's supposed to make everything okay?" Caroline asked in an annoyed tone as she tried to walk off, but Elena grabbed her arm and turned them so they faced each other. "No, Caroline, it's not okay. It's horrible and I feel horrible about it, but he's a victim of something supernatural, he didn't ask for this, it just happened to him. Just like Bonnie's mom, I mean, she didn't ask to become a vampire. And neither did Stefan or Tyler." "Or me," Caroline said with an emotional voice as I made my appearance. "Or me," I added and the two girls both turned to me in shock.

"Or you two," Elena said reassuringly as she pulled Caroline and I into a group hug. I let out a small giggle as I tried not to cry. With everything that was about to happen, I reveled in the feeling of having friends. Having family. "None of you asked for this, but who would I be if I just turned my back on any of you?" Elena continued then gasped when she saw a tear fall from my eye. "Gene?" "What's wrong?" Caroline and Elena both asked, but I just shook my head. They'd find out soon enough… "Oh, Elena Gilbert, savior of the cursed and the damned," I said with a smile as I stood in between these two girls I loved, one arm around each of their shoulders.

"Hey. What's with the cryptic secret meeting text?" Matt asked as he appeared. "Matty!" I immediately jumped at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "Whoa what's up with you?" he asked in shock, but he still wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back as I shook my head. "I don't know. Stefan just said to meet here," Elena said with a smile as I turned to look at her, still holding onto Matt.

Then I sensed Stefan and Damon. I was afraid to face them, because I knew what they were going to say. Because I knew what was going to happen. I was scared. "Where's Bonnie?" Stefan asked with a serious face and Damon opened his arms wide with a giant smile aimed towards me. I hesitated to run into his arms, which he noticed, then abandoned my fears and did it anyway. My eyes that had dried from tears were now beginning to water again. "Damon I love you," I whispered shakily then moved to Stefan's waiting arms. "I love you too, Steffie. Always and forever."

"Um," Caroline stammered, the situation becoming slightly awkward with my sudden affectionate outbursts. "Bonnie's mom bailed on her. Again. So, I think we should leave her out of this one." "What are we doing here?" Matt asked as I removed my hands from Stefan's neck and stepped to the edge of the circle to watch and observe. Damon and Stefan looked at me hesitantly for a moment then Damon said, "We found some more white oak. Long story, wait for the movie." "Hang on. White oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Elena asked in shock and everyone seemed to forget that the man they were planning on killing was my fiance and the love of my life. "Nope. We all have a weapon," Stefan said then threw down a duffel bag full of small white oak stakes.

* * *

><p>Nik's POV<p>

_I must stop this,_ I thought as I searched through a distant city looking for my idiot brother. After an eternity of walking, ignoring flirtatious stares from all the women around, and my mind constantly urging me to move faster, I found Finn walking down the street. With a smirk I fell into step beside him and walked as if the mere thought of this dawdling wasn't a second closer that Genevieve came to dying.

"Hello Finn." "Hello Niklaus. I have nothing to say to you." "Well, I'm not here to chat. I will ask you one time though, do you still wish to die?" "Yes, I do. I wish to end our abominable lives." Hearing his words made a sharp pain strike my heart. "Well, how fortunate that I found you, I require your assistance," I said calmly, my smirk not wavering for a second. "I have no wish to help you. Only to see you dead." "Right, well, that's the thing; you see you won't be able to see me dead, because if I die, then you die. So, wish unfulfilled, I'm afraid." "Oh, bother someone else with your hollowed charms, Niklaus," he said with the roll of his eyes. I tolerated this game of cat and mouse, but my patience was wearing thin. With a quick movement, I was standing in front of him to block his path. "Why? Why not come bother my big brother? I need you to accompany me back to Mystic Falls, Genevieve is going to help undo Esther's spell that linked us together." "I have no wish to be unlinked." "Again with the wishes. Let me rephrase, you will come back with me or I will put you back in that coffin in which you rotted for 900 years."

My calm tone had grown dark as my frustrations surfaced and my smirk fell to a hard glare. "What happens to one, happens to all. You may not feel the effects of the dagger, but you'd lose your precious Rebekah." I chuckled at the idea, not caring for the loss of a sibling, and more worried about the daggers that were in the Salvatores' possession. "Wouldn't be the first time." Finn had apparently had enough of my presence so he tried to run. He sped down an alley to try and make his escape, but was blocked by Rebekah. "Let's not make this any worse than it has to be, darling brother," she said with a bored smirk as she studied her nails. "You're siding with him? Rebekah, he stored us in boxes." "At least he's not trying to make us extinct."

He tried to run again, but I was already behind him to block his path. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?" he asked as he stepped closer to me and I could see the rebelliousness in his eyes. "Oh yeah, that's right, you've got a death wish. Fine, pathetic, but fine. The thing is, I'm not gonna let you take the rest of us down with you," I said with a hard glare then grabbed him and threw him against the wall.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

I had stayed quiet up until now. Standing off to the side as everyone watched what was going on. With everything they said my heart ached. It did a lot of that lately. These people who I would do most anything for, have been hurting me more and more lately. I forgave them for it. I didn't even hold a grudge. But I was getting tired of it.

"Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage. We're all armed and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity." "Scenario number one," Damon said as he grabbed Elena and moved her to his side to get ready. "You get to play Klaus." "Okay." "Rebekah is our target so we distract her and catch her off guard. To do that we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied," Stefan said as he looked over to Caroline. I knew he was going to. I'm not blind. I knew what was going on between them, no matter how much they both might deny it if I asked.

Caroline was embarrassed that Stefan had claimed her to be the Niklaus bait, since she isn't a jerk and actually acknowledges my presence. "What why?" she asked with a deep blush and sending me a sheepish glance, although I avoided eye contact. Damon, however, looked me in the eye with a daring glare then looked at Caroline and said, "Because he's obsessed with you." He then walked over to her and said, "But for right now we need you to play Rebekah. We use the quarterback to distract her. Just keep her talking." "How?" "Act interested. She's lonely, desperate." "Clearly. She slept with you," Caroline snapped making a small smile appear on my face. She did it for me, which I appreciated greatly.

"Hm. Beefcake holds bombshell. I come up from behind her," Damon said as he ignored the insult and walked behind Caroline, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her, "Grab her arms like this." "Ow!" Stefan then walked up with a stake and pretended to stab Caroline in the chest. "Gives me time for one shot." Damon let go of Caroline who was irritated. "Got it? Good. So we all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have." "No last minute attacks of pity for any of them," Damon said looking at Elena, and I knew the moment was coming. "Don't worry about me. Not after what happened to Bonnie's mom." "Barbie?" he asked turning to Caroline. "Oh, I'm ready. Anything that will free Tyler from his sire bond to Klaus." "Busboy?" Damon asked Matt who shrugged. "Do I have a choice?" "Good point." "We have 12 stakes, 12 shots at killing one Original. We can do this," Stefan said as he tried to continue with the demonstrations, but I stepped in.

"Now it's my turn to speak," I whispered and all eyes fell on me. Caroline, Matt and Elena all had sorry eyes, but when I looked at my brothers my heart dropped. Their eyes were cold and emotionless. They were daring me to defy them. They believed I would always stay by their side, no matter what the situation. But I couldn't stand idly by this time. "The reason I came here was to let you all know that if you want to kill Nik you'll have to kill me, too."

Everyone was silent, a few gasps were heard. But nothing mattered to me besides the hurt and complete shock that I saw in my brothers' faces. "I know you never thought I would side with him," I said through tears as I fought back the sobs that wracked my body, "but I can't let you kill him. Damon, Stefan, I love him. And the only people I love more than him… are you two." At that I broke down and let out a choked sob, holding a hand over my mouth to quiet myself and clutching at my chest to calm down. I was looking down at the floor to recover from my sob when I felt two strong arms wrap around me. I was relieved, not completely, but I was. Because at least someone didn't hate me, and Matt's arms were always comforting. "It's okay," he whispered in my ear and I let out a couple more sobs.

"You would choose him over us?" Stefan asked quietly. I didn't reply. I didn't want to hear them say they hate me. My heart would break into a million pieces… My brothers… They were all I had… "Yes," I mumbled into Matt's chest and they didn't say anything. When I looked up… they were gone…

* * *

><p>After my brothers had left I immediately came home. I didn't want to see the pitying looks that Caroline and Elena were giving me. So I ran into the mansion and was met with a hard, comforting chest that enveloped me into a hug and carried me to the living room. "Vivi, what's wrong?" Xander asked worriedly, but I couldn't speak. My sobs were uncontrollable as I shook in pain. "I… lost them," I said emotionally and Xander just soothed me to the best of his abilities.<p>

After about an hour of crying we both lay on the couch in silence. My eyes were swollen and red from crying so much and my face, and Xander's shirt, was covered in tears. "I'm leaving," Xander mumbled into my neck. My eyes widened in shock at the news, but I had suspected this was coming. I didn't say anything to him besides giving a nod of my head. "I will not be a part of the growing battle. Because I refuse to watch you destroy your own heart, so I will leave." "I accept your reasoning." With a deep sigh I stood from the couch and waited for him to do the same. "I'll miss you," I whispered as we embraced briefly when I heard the front door open.

Turning around I saw Finn stumble into the foyer with Nik and Rebekah behind him. "Let's get his blood and get on with it," Rebekah said boredly then perked up when she saw me. "Gene," she shouted as she ran over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, making me giggle in surprise. "Okay, well I'm going to go now. Goodbye Vivi," Xander said. He walked over to Rebekah and I and gave us a tight squeeze then left. "You can't force me to help you," Finn shouted interrupting our peaceful moment. "Oh, I most likely could, but why force when I can persuade?"

With the flick of his wrist that motioned towards the staircase Sage appeared in front of them, to Finn's surprise. Her face was genuinely happy to see Finn, but when she saw me a small flash of fear flooded them. I smirked at the fear she showed and made my way to Nik's side. He immediately wrapped his arm around my waist and held me close against his side, and Sage's eyes filled with understanding. "Hello Finn," she said to the stunned man and his face slowly filled with a smile. "Sage." They both quickly embraced each other as Rebekah and I both rolled our eyes. "What do you know, true love prevails."

At that moment I felt Nik's pocket vibrate. I slowly stuck my hand in his pocket to grab it, but I could feel his body stiffen at my close proximity to his crotch. "You're so dirty," I whispered seductively in his ear earning a flirtatious smile. When I unlocked his phone there was a text from Kol that said, "Let me know when I'm needed." Without even looking up at Nik I replied back with, "Of course, boo boo." "Boo boo?" Nik asked in a slightly jealous and very curious tone. "It's just what I call him. He hates it so," I said with a giggle that made a beautiful smile appear on his face.

"Well," Rebekah yelled with a sigh, somewhat scaring me. When I turned to look at her she seemed frustrated. Probably because she was the only single person in the room. "I have something to do. What do you need from me for this spell?" she asked me and I shrugged my shoulders. "Just your blood." "Where are you going?" Nik asked and Rebekah rolled her eyes again. "Someone's feeling sassy today." "I have some unfinished business with Damon Salvatore. Ask Sage what he did to me. Then you'll understand why retribution is in order." She quickly left, Nik and I staring curiously after her.

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

"Bonnie, we're starting to worry about you. Call me back or call Caroline. Just call someone, please," I said into the phone as I left Bonnie yet another voicemail. With a sigh, I hung up the phone and walked up to Caroline and Matt. "Mr. Saltzman was like the most normal guy in town," I heard Matt say. "Yeah." "Is it weird that Bonnie's not returning my calls?" I asked with a frown and Matt and Caroline both gave me small, reassurring smiles. "Is it weird that Klaus' brother is in the middle of town square?" Matt asked causing Caroline and I to turn with shocked faces.

"That's Finn. I thought he left town," I said as Caroline pulled her hair back and listened in on the conversation as I called Stefan. "Hey." "Hey. Where are you?" I asked. "I just got home. Why?" "Klaus' brother, Finn, is in the town square and he's with some ex-girlfriend or something." "Ex-girlfriend? Guy's been in a coffin for the last 900 years," Stefan said then all that I heard was silence. After a moment of what I believed was realization he said, "Sage. It's got to be Sage." "We have an opportunity. So how do we do this?" "Listen to me, Elena, do not do anything, okay? Sage is very old and very strong. You don't stand a chance against her." I sighed, "Then get Damon and get down here."

Again there was silence. After a long moment I heard a distant, "What the hell happened to you?" "Stefan?" I called into the phone and heard an inaudible voice speaking. "I think we have a problem." Great.

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING: MATURE MOMENT (16+) READ ONSKIP TO AFTER THE LINED SPACE**

Gene's POV

Nik and I were in our bedroom laying on the window seat and looking out at the forest. He was leaning against the window sill, me in his lap. It was silent and peaceful… until I heard Damon's scream. The sound of him screaming in pain made my skin crawl and I couldn't help but flinch. Nik gently wrapped his hands around me and tried to calm me down, but that didn't work. How could I focus on anything but that terrible sound.

"My little vie," he whispered into my ear. His warm breath was hitting my neck, causing me to shiver in joy. "Let me get your mind off of that idiot," he whispered again as I felt his lips slowly inch themselves closer to my neck.

Before I could say a word his fangs were pressed deeply into my neck. I couldn't help the loud moan that escaped my lips or the way my neck rolled back to lean on his shoulder. "Nik," I moaned out as I quickly turned myself around so I was straddling his waist. "My turn," I said with a smirk then sank my fangs into his throat. We remained that way for a moment. Enjoying each other's blood, when I felt myself being lifted then being placed onto our bed. As soon as I detached my fangs from his neck my shirt was pulled over my head. With a small giggle I pulled his off as well and relished in the lean, toned muscles that covered his body. Nik's eagerness was contagious, and in a mere seconds we were both completely naked.

All the excitement we were feeling slowly died down when Nik's flirty smirk fell to a small smile. "My beautiful little vie," he whispered out, gently rubbing my cheek with his large hand. "My handsome darling," I whispered back, rubbing my thumb over his pink lips. And then the excitement was back. He had flipped us over with me straddling him. The flirty glint in his eyes sparkled as I positioned him at my entrance, and before I could slowly lower myself down he roughly pulled my hips down to meet his. My back arched as I threw my head back in pleasure. Another loud moan escaping my lips as he instantly began moving me up and down. He was pumping in and out of me. Roughly, deeply, amazingly. Every time he reentered a wave of pleasure surged through my body, tingling my senses.

After letting him take control I finally decided to take the reins. I removed his hands from my hips and positioned myself on my feet in a squatting position. Then I began to bounce up and down. The look in his eyes at the control I had over him sent me in a frenzy. Sweat was beginning to cling to our skin. The sheets were beginning to become damp. And as I continued to move up and down over his erection I felt myself reaching my climax. My moans were becoming more erotic, my breathing more erratic, and I could see that Nik was feeling the same. "Nik," I moaned one more time, earning me a low growl of pleasure from my love.

We both began to claw at each other's skin as our climax was merely a few seconds away. My nails dug into Nik's back as I held him close to my body. My breasts were pushed against his hard chest. Nik's fingers viciously grabbed at my toned butt as he moved my hips to slam into me. Our hips were slamming together harder with each thrust as I whimpered in pleasure. And then we reached it. A low grunt escaped from Nik's mouth as I felt his warm sperm shoot inside me, and a loud scream of ecstasy escaped my lips. With a deep sigh I collapsed on top of him as he slowly lay himself down on the bed, and sleep pulled me under.

* * *

><p>Nik's POV<p>

She looked so amazing as she lay fast asleep. Her long, curly eyelashes brushed lightly against her cheek. It was like looking at a sleeping angel. She was the purest of lights to my darkest of nights. A mere year ago and I would be cursing myself for letting her into my heart. But there was no fighting it. She walked into my heart, through all my walls and barriers like an open door. "My beautiful little vie," I whispered with a smile as I brushed a stray hair out of her face.

With a sigh I stood from the bed, but not before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. I scavenged for my clothes that were thrown carelessly across the room. I couldn't help the smirk that appeared at the thought of what we had just done. The way she crumbled in pleasure was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. With a quick look back at my sleeping fiancee I sped downstairs.

I had been making my way to the kitchen to make us a small lunch, but stopped in the doorway of Rebekah's new 'torture hall.' "Well, look what you've caught. Trying to bleed him of vervain, don't you think it would be easier to hang him upside down?" "I'm perfectly capable of inflicting pain, thank you very much." "Well, excuse me, it's not like I have any expertise in the matter," I said with a smirk. "You know, why don't you just leave me be? Maybe try not having sex when we can all clearly hear you," Rebekah said with a disgusted frown and when I looked over at the weak Salvatore he had the same one. I let out a booming laugh and nodded my head, then continued towards the kitchen to make lunch.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

"Time to wake up my little vie," I heard a melodic voice whisper to me as a hand gently rubbed my back. A tired smile covered my face at the voice. "How long was I asleep?" I asked tiredly as I peaked with one eye. Nik's beautiful face was smiling down at me lovingly, making my heart flutter, "Around a half hour." "What is that delicious smell?" I asked, slowly pulling myself into a sitting position. Nik moved to sit behind me so I could lean on him as I ate. "I made you a sandwich," he said with a proud smile. "You are so adorable" I said through loud giggles as I picked up the sandwich and began to eat it.

* * *

><p>Rebekah's POV<p>

I was disgusted. The sound of Nik and Gene going at it definitely wasn't one of my favorite sounds, and I could tell that Damon didn't enjoy it much either. But when I saw Nik carefully walking up the stairs with a sandwich in his hands my frown changed to a smile. They might disgust me with their sex noises, but I was genuinely glad they were together. "Time to wake up my little vie," I heard him whisper. It wasn't anything new, since I was around them all the time. But Damon gasped from his dangling position. "I shall assume you haven't actually taken the time to watch them." He didn't say anything. Just continued listening. "I made you a sandwich," Nik said with a pleased tone.

"Impossible," Damon grumbled, but there was no denying it. "You may hate my brother, but you cannot deny the way they love each other," I said with a frown. "He is a monster! He has killed hundreds of people. He is trying to kill the woman I love!" he shouted tiredly. In his eyes there burned pure hatred that made my heart drop. "And what about your sister? She loves that monster with all her heart. And do you know why? Because when he's with her he isn't a monster. She makes him a better person." Silence. He wasn't budging in his stubborness. I shouldn't care what he thinks, but it angered me that he was hurting Gene with his idiotic belieffs. She has given her all to helping them, for protecting that doppelganger bitch. But they continue to take her for granted.

"You heard him. You heard the pure love and care that was in his voice. He loves her, Damon." "She chose him over us," he growled out. I simply shook my head at his idiocy. "And you are choosing Elena over her." At that he looked at me in shock. His eyes were wide and I could see that he was finally understanding the situation. Hopefully things will be easier for Gene.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

Nik and I had been lounging in bed for an hour or so when I let out a deep sigh and began to stand from the bed. "No," Nik grumbled, pulling on my hand and forcing me to lay back down next to him. I giggled involuntarily as I fought to pull him up with me, "Tick tock darling, I have to do the spell." With a loud sigh Nik nodded his head then got up with me. We both linked our hands together and made our way downstairs where I began to perform the spell.

As I closed my eyes to concentrate on all the Mikaelson children I sensed a threat. My eyes shot open as I rushed to grab the vials of blood and sat myself back down. "Genevieve what's wrong?" Nik asked worriedly. I didn't answer at first, just continued organizing everything properly until I felt Nik's hand grab my cheek. "Genevieve," he said again as he forced me to look into his eyes. My frown turned into a small smile at the sight of his worry. "They are about to attack Finn. I must hurry," I whispered. I placed a small peck at the corner of Nik's lips then began the spell.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

"Hey. How is he?" I heard Elena ask from behind me. I had been standing outside of the Grill waiting for her. Seeing her so worried made my heart squeeze a bit. No matter how much I denied it, I loved her. There was no way I couldn't. She was kind, compassionate, beautiful, smart… everything I've ever wanted. So when I saw her like this all I could think of was helping her. "Hey. He's just banged up. Caroline's gonna stay with him and make sure Alaric stays Alaric. Matt texted me and said Finn is still inside. We need to plan our next move." "Wait, wait," she said as she held up her hands to stop me from talking any further. My face immediately filled with confusion, not really sure why she was hesitating. "Rebekah has Damon; our next move should be finding him." Of course, I thought to myself as the warm feeling in my heart faded and was taken over by jealousy.

"No, we need to stay on point. See an Original, kill an Original. That's the plan," I said coldly and she seemed taken aback by it. Her eyes were the size of saucers as she stared at me in disbelief. "Yeah, that was the plan before Damon's life was hanging in the balance." "Look, Elena, I understand that you're concerned about my brother's life, but if he even knew, for one second, that we were talking about missing a chance to kill these people he would lose his mind." "Yeah, and if the roles were reversed he would stop everything to save you," she almost yelled. She seemed to think if she was loud enough that the idea would sink into my head. But she didn't realize that I knew this already. I knew Damon would try to save me. That he would do everything he could. But if I stopped everything to save him, again, I would never hear the end of it. "I know what my brother would want." "What he would want and what we should do are two different things."

I sighed, infuriated by the stubborn look on her face. She looked at me like I was a monster for honoring my brother's wishes, but it wasn't going to stop me. "You gonna help me with this or not?" Instead of saying anything she looked at me like I was a despicable, revenge-crazed fool. So I just nodded my head and said, "Okay, I'll figure it out myself."

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

So here I was. Hanging in the bear traps. Inside of my arch nemesis' mansion. Inside of my baby sister's fiance's mansion. Beneath me there were buckets of blood and my body felt like a prune. Then I heard footsteps. They were approaching me, and it took all of my strength to lift my head and look at the person. The person looked like a blur, but I could make out the curvy shape of a woman. And when she got closer I gasped in shock. Elena. "What are you doing here? Rebekah will kill you." "Then hurry up and - and tell me what to do," she stammered nervously, so I nodded my head. Looking up at the bear traps on my wrists I whispered, "Open them. Carefully."

My beautiful savior nodded her head then began to open one of the traps. Had it not been for the fact that she had immediately slung my arm over her shoulder, I would have probably collapsed to the floor. As she helped my weak body she unclasped the second bear trap, then struggled a bit to put me in a better position to walk in. Slowly we began to stumble our way out of the room and down the hall. But by the time we were nearing the main hallway my body started to collapse from exhaustion. "Damon. Come on, come on, we have to keep going. Damon," she urged me, so I pushed myself even more. We had made it to the parlor when I couldn't move any farther and fell to the floor. "No," she said as she collapsed next to me and pulled my face into her hands. "Look at me. Look at me." "Don't be an idiot, Elena." "I am not going to leave you. Damon? No," she argued then raised her wrist to my mouth. "Hey, hey. Drink."

Normally I would have denied the offer, but I was losing it. I couldn't move my legs and breathing alone was taking up all my strength. So I grabbed her wrist and gently bit into it. The taste of her blood was amazing, and it quenched my extreme thirst. Just a few short moments and I was strong enough to walk out of the mansion. But after I drank from her I lost myself in her eyes. Compared to mine and Gene's they were a rich, chocolatey brown. All I saw in them was warmth. Slowly, I moved my face closer to hers, until our foreheads were resting against each other's. That was all I needed. Just from feeling her forehead resting against mine, my heart began to slam inside my chest and the once dead butterflies stormed around in my stomach. She brings me to life, I thought to myself.

But in one short moment I found myself opening my eyes and my heart dropping down into my stomach. It was all a dream… "Uh, you bitch," I groaned angrily to the best of my weak abilities. "It's not fun when someone messes with your thoughts, is it?" "Actually, I was having a pretty good time in there." "Mmm, well I hope you were nicer to Elena than you were to me," she mumbled angrily. Jesus, she could hold a grudge, I thought to myself. "Oh, come on," I said as I rolled my eyes, "I couldn't have hurt you that bad. You didn't really think I had a thing for you, did you?" I asked sceptically then regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth. Her eyes were full of hurt at my words, and I then realized what she really was. A lonely girl. "I get it," I said sympathetically, "If Klaus bossed me around for a thousand years, I'd probably be pretty desperate for attention too." I had meant it in a sincere way, but apparently it didn't come out that way because Rebekah rushed at me and stabbed me in the stomach.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

I was concentrating on the spell when I heard Damon scream out in agony. Any focus I had was immediately gone at the blood curdling sound. I visibly flinched when I heard it then threw myself on the floor to try and collect my wavering emotions. "I wouldn't let it bother you, my little vie," he whispered as he lay down next to me. Shaking my head, I rolled over onto his chest and squeezed my eyes tight. "You know that if that was Rebekah you would be suffering as well," I whispered. He didn't say anything, but I didn't expect him to. Most people assumed that he didn't care much for their well being, but Nik actually did care for his family. He just couldn't show it properly.

"I believe I have a solution," he shouted excitedly then quickly scrambled to his feet and out of the room. I didn't move from my spot on the floor, but just watched him run out. My thoughts began to travel to what his idea might be then jumped back to Damon when he screamed out in pain a second time. I let out a small whimper and put my hands on my ears to try to block out the sound, but of course it didn't work. Nothing, I thought, could mask the excruciating sound of my brother's screams. That is until Nik came running in with my new pair of Beats. "Why didn't I think of that?"

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

Inside the Mystic Grill sat various groups of teenagers, adults, and supernatural creatures. At the bar sat Stefan Salvatore, who was drinking a large glass of Bourbon. Multiple girls were staring at him, sending flirty looks to try and get his attention. But his eyes were trained on a couple that was sitting in a booth by the door. "You've never had tequila before?" Sage asked in excitement as she passed a shot glass to her lover, Finn. His face held a small smile as he shook his head and grabbed the glass. He had been about to retract his hand when she grabbed it and poured salt on his wrist. She did the same to herself, then tossed back the shot and licked the salt off of her wrist. Finn's smile grew at the sight, then he repeated it. His smile contorted into a disgusted frown at the new bitter taste that washed over his taste buds. "Happy now?" he grunted out as Sage's smile widened even more and she handed him a lime to suck on.

"I'm truly awed by the evolution of mankind," he said as he placed it back on the table. Sage began to laugh happily, but stopped when a man approached their table. "Hey Sage," he said with a flirty smirk that she did not return. Finn's eyes narrowed at the rude man then turned to scrutinize Sage's reaction. She wasn't exactly happy to see him, but she acknowledged his presence "Hey Troy." Said man turned to Finn and nodded at him, then walked out of The Grill.

"You know him?" Finn whispered out harshly, jealousy drippy from his words. But Sage didn't let it faze her. She smiled back brightly at him and nodded her head. "I turned him." "You turned him? Why?" Finn asked incredulously. His views on his past love were slowly changing. She now relished in the very acts that disgusted him. "Because I'm in enemy territory. When your brother and sister called, I thought I might need a little back up. You can't trust anyone here."

As they talked, Matt had began walking towards a table to clean up the mess that was left by a group of teenagers. When he passed by Sage and Finn's table he was grabbed by the wrist. His eyes widened in shock, and slight fear, as he turned to face the beautiful vampire that had a hold on him. "Two more tequilas?" she asked sweetly, and Matt's nervousness calmed down. "Yeah, cool, I'll let your waitress know," he said politely with a smile as he walked towards the bar.

Still sitting there with his glass of bourbon, Stefan pushed a tiny bottle of vervain towards the approaching human. Matt grabbed the small bottle, along with a coffee, then placed it discreetly in his apron and carried the drink to its customer.

* * *

><p>Inside the Mikaelson mansion Nik and Genevieve sat in the living room. The young witch hybrid sat in front of the coffee table, the original hybrid behind her on the couch. She had a long piece of parchment placed on the table as she listened to a wide variety of soothing classical piano and poured the blood of the original family into a cup to begin the spell.<p>

* * *

><p>"How many people have you turned?" Finn asked with a serious face. He loved Sage. But that did not change his hatred for their kind. Under his hard, judgmental gaze Sage's smile began to fall. "I don't know. A lot. Don't judge me. Finn, you turned me." "Exactly Sage, I turned you. My passion overtook my morals." "My passions overtake my morals on a daily basis," she said in her defense. At the bar, Stefan snorted at her idiotic answer. You mean your sluttiness overtake your morals on a daily basis, he thought. "It's called living life to the fullest." As he refrained himself from bursting into laughter, he grabbed his phone and sent out a text that said, "Get ready."<p>

* * *

><p>Now, as the aura in the room began to fill with the essence of Genevieve's magic, she began the incantation for the spell as she poured the mixed blood onto the parchment.<p>

* * *

><p>After around ten minutes of awkwardly sitting in silence, Finn and Sage's waitress arrived with their second round of tequila shots. "Finally," Sage said in excitement as Finn politely nodded his head, "Thank you." Before the waitress could even leave, Sage had picked up her shot glass and was urging Finn to do the same. "To living life to the fullest," she said holding up her glass to Finn's so he could do the same.<p>

He was reluctant to do so at first, but he soon gave in and shouted, "To living life." Sage's small, forced smile grew into a large, real one as she began to laugh happily. They both slammed back their shots, but immediately spit them back up. Their mouths and throats were burning as they choked and gagged. There was vervain in the tequila. "Oh, what the hell?" Sage grumbled. "Vervain," Finn growled as Stefan stood from his seat at the bar and began to leave. Right before exiting Stefan turned and smirked at the Original sibling, then walked out. Sage and Finn immediately raced after him.

* * *

><p>Now, as Genevieve chanted the spell louder, the mixed blood that had been poured on the parchment slowly began to separate into five different pools.<p>

* * *

><p>Outside of the Grill Stefan hid around the corner and waited patiently. Finn and Sage then came rushing out of the building and were frantically looking for him. The moment they turned their backs, Stefan jumped out and attempted to stab Finn. Before he could do so, Sage grabbed him and threw him down on the ground. The stake he was holding flew from his hands and rolled down the stairwell. "Finn, the stake!" Sage shouted as she unknowingly pushed her love into their trap.<p>

* * *

><p>The flames of the candles around the living room began to flicker. On the large piece of parchment the collected blood spread into five separate pools and had began to move away from each other. The trails it left behind were forming the image of a large family tree. With one final incantation the flames of the candles vanished as the pools of blood stopped. The tree they had made now had five branches of blood for each of the five Mikaelson children. The flames on the candles lit themselves once again, and the spell is complete.<p>

* * *

><p>Finn had quickly rushed to grab the stake, but when he came to the bottom of the stairs Elena and Matt burst out from a back door of the Grill. Finn stopped in his tracks. Elena then took the opportunity and shot Finn in the stomach with a crossbow, and Matt ran at him to stab him. When Sage ran after her love she was greeted with the sight of Finn dying. In his stomach was a white oak stake.<p>

"No!" she yelled as she ran to his side. Her eyes were flooded with tears as she broke into sobs. Finn was in agony, but gave one small smile before his body burst into flames.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

I sighed after completing the spell and placed my head in Nik's lap. "All done, my love?" he whispered affectionately. Slightly nodding my head, I relished in the feeling of his hand playing with my hair. After a short moment I sighed again then looked up at him with sorry eyes. "Finn is dead." He didn't answer me, but instead stared blankly down at me. While he seemed lost in thought I stood from the floor and sat next to him, then pulled him down to rest his head in my lap. As he battled his inner emotions I lightly ran my fingers through his curls and hummed my mother's lullaby. (Safe and Sound by Madilyn Bailey)

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

After dealing with Finn, Stefan and I headed to the boarding house to check on Ric. It was a very awkward car ride, to say the least. But when we got there I immediately rushed inside and into the library with Stefan following. "Hey. How's Alaric?" I asked Caroline. She had been sitting on one of the couches with a random book in her hand, but it was obvious that she wasn't interested in it. "He'll be okay. I gave him a bottle of Bonnie's herbs and he went home," she said calmly then seemed to perk up when she remembered why she was on babysitting duty. "Oh, did you guys kill Finn, did it work?" "Nothing worked until I see Klaus' dead body myself," Stefan said with a brooding face that only made me roll my eyes. Lately it seemed like he had a stick stuck up his ass.

I was about to say something when my phone began ringing. I mindlessly pulled it out then frowned when I saw it was Gene. When I turned to Stefan and Caroline they both seemed upset as well. After what she said to us earlier, things regarding Gene were an untouchable subject. Stefan silently nodded his head at me, and I answered the phone. "Hey, Gene," I said somewhat awkwardly, but thank god she was a master at awkward situations. "Hey, Nik told me I should let you know Rebekah is done torturing Damon," she said nonchalantly, but my eyes shot open in shock. When I turned to Stefan and Caroline they both had the same shocked expressions on their face. "Wait, but we just killed Finn. No offense or anything, but he should be dead." "Elena, I'm a witch. I unlinked the Mikaelson siblings. He's still alive." "Okay," I said in a numb tone.

It didn't work. Our plan to get rid of Klaus didn't work. And now we had to get Damon back. "Where is he?" "Here at my house," she whispered in a sad tone. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my mouth. Damon was tortured in the same house as Gene? How could she let it happen? How could she stand it? "Are – are you okay?" It was silent on the other end of the line until I finally heard it. She had started crying. "No, of course I'm not okay!" she shouted in a shaky voice then let out a heavy sigh. "Just please come get him," she whispered then hung up the phone.

An hour had passed as Stefan ran around the house in a fierce rage. "Stay with Caroline. I'll call you when it's over," he shouted over his shoulder as he ran towards the door to try and leave. "Stefan, stop. Klaus is stronger than you, we need another plan." "What we need is for Klaus to be dead," he growled angrily. "Stefan, stop it!" I said as I grabbed him and turned him to look at me. "You're acting on anger!" "Anger gets things done, Elena!" "Or it'll get you killed! It'll get Damon killed along with you." "Klaus does not get to survive this. Not after everything he took from me," he said and I could see the verge of angry tears flooding his eyes. Before any could fall he pulled away from me then stomped out of the room, slamming the door in the process.

I flinched at the loud slam it made, and Caroline walked over to me with a sympathetic face. "I miss well-adjusted Stefan," she joked. I was going to agree when the door flew open and Stefan was thrown into the room with Sage behind him. "Ding dong." In the heat of the moment Caroline ran at Sage to attack her, but instead was thrown across the room. "I'm not here for you. I'm here for him." While no one was watching me I tried to make a run to the front door to go get help, but Troy came in at that moment and blocked me. "I don't think so."

Behind me Sage slowly walked towards Stefan with an evil smirk on her face. "I had to kill him, Sage." "Oh, you remember me," she said with a sinister smile then kicked Stefan, making him fly into a wooden chair. "Good. Then you know I like to go all ten rounds." She was going to attack him again when she started to choke on nothing and her nose began to bleed. "Sage?" Troy asked worriedly from behind me. She didn't answer, but got up and tried to throw a punch at Stefan. Without even trying he caught her fist and was able to throw her on the ground. "Troy, help me!" she whimpered out in fear.

Troy immediately pushed me out of the way to help her, but when he got to the floor he started choking and bleeding as well. "What is happening to me?" Sage whimpered, and right before our very eyes, she and Troy died.

"She just died," I blurted out in shock. "So, Sage and this Troy guy die within an hour of Finn," Caroline commented. "But why? Were they bitten by a hybrid or...?" "Hybrid bites don't look like that. Maybe Sage was so in love with Finn she just died of sadness," she suggested by my shocked face turned into a frown. I shook my head, "No, that doesn't explain Troy." "It's the blood. The bloodline. It has to be. Think about it: Finn turned Sage, Sage turned Troy. They're all part of the same vampire bloodline that originated with Finn." My frown returned to a shocked face as I stared at Stefan and thought it over. "Wait, so when an Original dies every vampire turned from their bloodline dies along with them? Because that would mean…" "If the Originals die, so do all of you. The entire vampire species would… it'd just be dead."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

Nik, Rebekah and I were sitting in the living room boredly when I heard Stefan's voice scream, "Klaus, I'm here! Let's do this." I, personally, did not want to be present for the negotiations, but Nik dragged me along with them spouting some nonsense of 'not wanting to be apart.' When we entered Stefan's eyes instantly landed on me as he sent me a cold, hard glare. "Oh good, a hero. What do you want?" Stefan didn't say anything, but dropped the duffel bag full of stakes on the floor. My eyes quickly scanned them over as I realized they weren't all there. I didn't say anything about it, but when I looked Stefan in the eye I could see the hidden request. He was begging me not to say anything.

"I'm here to make a deal." "Stefan, what are you doing?" Damon asked angrily, but Stefan ignored him. "Eight stakes made of white oak. The part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn." Nik looked at Rebekah accusingly and her eyes were on the wood. "That's impossible," she said in shock. "Actually it's not. Finn is dead." "You killed my brother?" she asked in shock, but this time you could hear the raw emotion in her voice. "Damon in exchanged for the last eight weapons that can kill you." "And how do I know there aren't any more left?" Nik asked. He quickly glanced over me in acknowledgment, making Stefan stiffen. He was scared that Nik would ask me and that I would answer. But to Stefan's relief, Nik had no intention of putting me in an even worse position with my brothers. "Because there aren't."

"Let's be certain, shall we?" Nik smirked then walked over to Damon. "Leave," he ordered, but didn't compel. "No." "Go on. Leave." Nothing happen, until Nik grabbed Damon and compelled him. "I said, go home." Damon then began to pull his wrist out of the traps. His screams shook my body as I could hear the flesh being peeled from his wrists. It was only for a short moment that Nik allowed the screaming to go on until he frowned at how much it was effecting me. "Alright, stop, stop, stop, before you hurt yourself. Well, seeing that he can finally be compelled. Now," Nik said as he grabbed Damon's throat and compelled him again. "Minus the stake that's in my brother, how many more stakes are out there that can kill me?" "Eleven," Damon groaned out. Stefan immediately sighed in defeat. He was caught.

"Eleven! Really? So, not eight then." "You really shouldn't have lied," Rebekah 'scolded.' "I'll get you the other three," Stefan stammered to cover himself, and I could see the hope leave his eyes. "Yeah, that'll be nice. Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew out his own tongue," Nik said with a smirk, earning him a slap on the head from me. Stefan's eyes nearly shot out of his head when instead of snapping at me, Nik pouted like a small child. Rebekah just rolled her eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked with a weirded out face and he just smiled sheepishly. "What is wrong with him?!" Nik asked me as he deflected the attention to Stefan, who was genuinely confused. "Do you really have no appreciation for me? I have given you someone to hate, to loathe, a target for all of your anger; so you don't have to turn it on yourself. I have given your life purpose, as your friend. I really think you should be thanking me." Hearing that, Stefan rushed at Nik with a stake in his hands. I involuntarily screamed at the mere possibility that Nik could die right there. But right after Stefan had pushed off of the floor, Nik was already jumping to dodge it. It was safe to say that he was fine. "I'm sorry, mate. I have no intention of dying today."

"This is ridiculous," Rebekah shouted then walked over to Damon and released him from the traps. Nik was going to walk over to her to stop her, but I grabbed his arm and held him back. "What are you doing?" "I brought him here. I get to release him. My rules now. Bring us the stakes and you both live. Take your brother as a sign of good faith," Rebekah said then grabbed the stakes and left. Nik looked at Stefan threateningly then growled out, "Bring us the stakes. All of them. Or I will wage a war against everyone you love. I hope I'm being clear."

* * *

><p>After Stefan and Damon left we all went into the parlor. Instead of sitting with Nik like I usually would, I was sitting with Rebekah. Her head was rested on my shoulder, my head on hers as I tried to comfort her. "I can't believe Finn is dead." "Good riddance. He was an embarrassment, Rebekah," Nik said cruelly even though he himself was mourning earlier. "He was still your brother. Mind your tongue." "Fine," he sighed. "Let's all say a prayer for Finn, who slept in a box longer than he lived as a man. He was a lovesick fool. He's better off in death."<p>

At that, Rebekah stood and walked over to him, "Is that how you would speak of me if I died?" "Well, you let the Salvatores loose with two stakes that can kill us, so I guess we'll find out soon enough. And since when did you have a soft spot for them?" Nik asked curiously as I rolled my eyes and stayed out of the sibling argument. "The Salvatores may fight like dogs, but in the end they would die for each other. At least they know what family means. You destroyed ours." "I wanted a family," Nik shouted at her. "They just didn't want me, and now we're unlinked we're no longer responsible for each other." Family was a sensitive subject for Nik. He believed they abandoned him, even though he's always had Rebekah and Elijah. "So are you leaving?" "As soon as I get my stakes, I'm gone. I'm gonna take Elena and use her blood to create a larger family. Of hybrids."

"And if I choose to stay?" Rebekah asked with a hopeful voice. She wanted him to say that he wanted her beside him. She wanted to hear him say that he actually loved her, but he would never admit it. "Then you're just as pathetic as Finn," he said emotionlessly. She didn't say anything. She just walked out. Poor Bekah, I though to myself.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

I was alone in my room. Sitting on my bed. Twirling one of the stakes in my hand. "Hey, Elena said as she entered my room, making me smile minutely at the awkward face she had. "Hey." "You haven't said much since you got back home." "I'll be a ball of sunshine once Damon gets Alaric's stake back. Promise," I joked. "You really scared me today. You wouldn't have survived if you went up against Klaus on your own, you know that, right?" "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore." "Why?" she asked curiously. I smiled again as the memory of what I saw of Klaus and Gene came to mind. "Cause he's not worth it. All this time and energy that I've wasted hating him, it was for nothing. It's done, it's over. We lost. I'm right back where I started."

"That's not true," she argued as she shook her head. "Yeah, Klaus dragged you through hell, but you came out the other side. You beat him by being better than him." "And what did I lose in the process?" I asked as I stood from my bed and walked in front of her. "Look, hating Klaus was easy. It allowed me to ignore everything that was happening around me. Everything I let slip away. Now I have to deal with that." "Stefan," she began, but I stopped her. "No, no, just admit it. Admit it to me, Elena. I know you don't owe it to me, but I just need to hear you say it." "I… I can't, because it's not true, Stefan. I never stopped loving you," she said in an emotional voice. It made me smile just hearing it. A real smile. Because after everything that has happened she could still say it.

"I know that. I know you didn't. Even though I did everything possible to push you away. It's my fault. It's all my fault. I mean, this is all my fault." "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the fact that you're also in love with Damon," I said getting straight to the point. "What? No, Stefan, I…" she stammered, but I just shook my head to calm her down. "Hey. I love you. I will always love you. I just want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you don't feel something for him," I whispered calmly as I caressed her chekk. Inside of me I was dying for her to say it. I would give anything to hear her say she didn't love him, but I knew it wouldn't be true. "I- I don't know what I feel." At that I dropped my hand and let my smile fall a bit. Without saying anything I grabbed the stake from my bed and left the room.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

After downing three blood bags I had felt completely better. My wrists however were still a bit sore from my torn flesh, I noticed, as I was standing in front of Ric's door and knocking on it. It only took a moment for him to answer, "Ah, he's still alive." "Yeah, for now. I need your stake," I said as we walked inside.

Ric nodded his head as he began to walk towards his book shelf, then began to remove various books. "It's right behind these books here," he said making me scoff in annoyance. "A bookshelf, really? At least I was trying to be clever about it." I was waiting patiently waiting for Ric to give me the stake when I heard him say, "Where the hell is it?" "Ha ha ha. Look harder, Ric." "It's not here, Damon."

Getting frustrated, I began to help Ric look for the dagger. "Maybe you just forgot which shelf you put it on," I suggested hopefully. If we don't find that dagger Klaus is going to kill us all. "No, I didn't forget. It's – I – I put it right here! A stake doesn't just vanish into thin air!" "Who else did you tell, Ric?!" "I didn't tell anybody, Damon! I'm the only…" he said seeming to go into his thoughts and confusing the shit out of me. "What?" "I'm the only one who knew about it, Damon." From the look on his face I understood what he was saying. And in the instant every other problem didn't matter. "No. Are you telling me that your vampire hating alter ego has a stake that can kill an entire line of vampires, possibly mine?" "That's exactly what I'm telling you."


	21. Chapter 20 - Blood Lines

I am _sooo_ sorry I didn't post on Friday. A lot has been going on.

Hope you aren't too mad, and hope you enjoy it :)

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><p>Gene's POV<p>

"Niklaus, come on. I'm going to miss my flight," I whined as I rolled my luggage into the airport with Nik following behind holding my other bag. "Slow down. I am in no rush to let you fly off to Kol's side," he shouted then mumbled the last sentence, making me giggle. We were close to my gate and everyone around us seemed to be staring. Most of the women and girls were batting their eyelashes at Nik. I wasn't worried, however, seeing as he was too busy grumbling about my departure to notice. "Darling, please. I'm only going to be gone for a day," I giggled as I waited for him to catch up. When he was at my side he wrapped his arm around my waist and held me against him. His arms were wrapped firmly and protectively around my waist, but his touch was gentle and comforting. Without a second thought I wrapped my free hand around his stomach. "That's not the problem. The problem is you'll be off with Kol. Who knows what will happen."

We were now standing in front of my gate, and Nik's frown had deepened. I smiled at him as he placed my carry on onto the floor and crossed his arms in stubborness. "Darling," I giggled then unfolded his arms to wrap them around my waist. He didn't say anything or look at me as he pouted and pulled me into a tight hug. "I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson," I whispered into his neck. With a loud sigh Nik mumbled, "I love you, too, Genevieve Salvatore." After that he lightened up and gave me a long, passionate kiss to bid me farewell.

Around us there were various whisperings from onlookers. "How cute." and "Get a room." were the general responses. It made me giggle at the various murmurings and Nik seemed to glare at the people that were complaining. "Well, I guess you best be off," he said with a sigh as he gave me one more comforting squeeze and handed me my bag. I smiled sadly at my love then slowly made my way towards the gate. When I was standing in front of it I looked back one more time to see Nik watching me with a matching sad smile. Instead of continuing my walk onto the plane I quickly dropped my bag and ran back into Nik's arms. "See you tomorrow, darling," I whimpered out as his large hands rubbed my back reassuringly. "See you tomorrow, my little vie," he chuckled out then placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. With a heavy heart, and one more glance back at my fiance, I walked onto the plane.

* * *

><p>After three hours of sitting on a plane listening to music I finally arrived in Denver. And to my displeasure, Jeremy wasn't with Kol to pick me up. I had stepped off the plane with a huge grin on my face that immediately fell when I saw Kol alone with a sign that said, "My Love Muffin." Although I was a bit disappointed, I immediately perked up and began laughing at his idiotic sign. With a quick wink to Kol I began to make a scene. "Oh my lord! Finally, I get to see my dear booboo! How long has it been since I've since that handsome face?" I yelled with various grand hand gestures as I ran to Kol. Everyone's eyes were either shocked or annoyed at my loud yelling, but Kol's face was filled with the same fake ecstatic smile as mine. "Love muffin! It has been so long I almost forgot the beautiful sparkle in your gorgeous blue eyes! Oh, how I've missed you!" he yelled throwing the sign into some random dude's face, almost making me break role to laugh, and running to me with open arms.<p>

Right before we were about to embrace we both stopped mid-run and began laughing. Everyone around us' faces were filled with complete shock as they stared dumbly. After a good ten minutes of laughing our asses off, getting my luggage, and being escorted from the building by security, we had actually began to talk.

"So what are we doing? When do we get to see Jeremy?" I asked as we drove inside Kol's car. "Calm down, love muffin. First of all, we have to drop off your things at my apartment. Secondly, we're meeting Jeremy at the batting cages later." Nodding my head, I began to mess with his radio to look for something that didn't sound like, how Bekah put it, a 'cable car accident.' Most of the stations were a mixed variety of genres, but when I finally found one that played nice, calm classical music, we had arrived at his apartment.

After grabbing my two bags from Kol's car we walked into his apartment. It was really nice, set to reflect a more modern home. It took me all a bit by surprise, since every house I've lived in has been really old, and decorated as such. "Do you like it?" he asked of his living room. I nodded my head, which made him smile, as he gave me a small tour. "Alright, this is the living room," he said gesturing in front of us, then turning to the left where there was an open doorway. "To the left we have the kitchen. I just went shopping for ingredients and such. So feel free to make me dinner," he smirked then turned to walk in the opposite direction. To the right of the front door is a small hallway that leads to three other rooms. The first few doors were directly across from each other. When Kol opened the one on the left he revealed a beautifully modern girl's room.

When I saw it a smile spread across my face. "Perfect," I giggled out as I nodded my head and walked inside. Kol followed behind me and watched silently as I threw myself on my bed. It didn't feel like a brand new mattress, thank god, because it was absolutely comfortable. The room was amazing, but it all seemed a bit much. "Kol?" "Hmm?" "Come here," I said with a smile and patted the small space next to me on my bed. He was hesitant, but he slowly made his way over to me and sat at the edge. "Want to talk about it?" He didn't say anything. He just lay down next me and silently stared me in the eye.

I know I should have been weirded out or worried, but I trusted him. He might have killed me, but because of him I have Nik. I couldn't thank him enough. "Why aren't you angry with me?" he finally asked. I couldn't help the smile that appeared at his cute innocence. When he saw me smile his frown deepened and reminded me so much of Nik. I pulled him into a hug and ran my hand up and down his back to calm his nerves. "I can't be mad at you because when you killed me you gave me an amazing life. Kol, because of you I got to live with my brothers for over a century. I got to travel the world. I got to find my one true love." At that he smiled and hugged me back as he let out a sigh. "I don't understand how someone so pure fell for my idiot brother," he joked as he sat up and pulled me up with him.

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

I had gathered some things from my house and Ric's old apartment to bring to him. Ever since we found out that his alter ego has hidden the white oak stake we have had him locked up in one of the old cells in the boarding house, where I now was. Slowly I made my way to his door and looked through the small, barred window. "Alaric?" "Yep. Still me," he said in a bored tone. I hadn't noticed, but I was holding in a breath that came out in a relieved sigh when I knew he was still himself. Unlocking the door, I walked in to see Ric sitting on a cot. "You know, you shouldn't be in here. It defeats the point of the whole being locked in a cellar thing." "Well," I said as I dropped my bag of things on the floor, "you still need the basics. Toothbrush, clothes, some boring books to help you sleep." Alaric nodded his head and picked up one of the aforementioned boring books and frowned, then handed it to me. It was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. "What? No, I grabbed…. Damon. Thinks he's hilarious," I said as I rolled my eyes, but Ric didn't seemed bothered by it.

"At least one of us still has a sense of humor." "Are you sure that you…? I mean you don't have to be kept in here." "Ah, no, this is… this is the right place for me to be. At least until you guys can convince my highly uncooperative alter ego to fess up to where I, or he, hid the white oak stake." I sighed. "We looked everywhere. You…. the other you, hid it well." "What's Klaus gonna do if you can't find it?" he asked with a serious face that only made me frown. "It's the only thing that will kill him, so wage war, murder people, you know Klaus stuff," I said while grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of him.

"Listen, Stefan is gonna watch over you for a little while. Now that Klaus knows where Jeremy is, it's not safe so, Damon and I are gonna go to Denver to pick him up." "Why do you say that like you're waiting for me to disapprove?" he asked with a genuinely confused face. "I don't know. Me and Damon. Traveling across the country." "I guess I'm more curious to hear what Stefan has to say about it." "Actually, it was his idea." At that Ric's confused face filled with shock. "He thinks that I have some unresolved feelings for Damon." "Do you?" "I guess that's why I'm going on this trip. So I can figure it out."

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><p>Stefan's POV<p>

She was leaving. She was going to be leaving with Damon. She was going to be leaving with someone who loves her. She might even love him back. The thought of this ran through my head and flooded me with multiple emotions that I was struggling to control. As I tried to do this, I stood in front of the fireplace and watched the flames dance around. "You hear from Klaus?" Damon asked from behind me. "Not yet," I said as I continued to watch the flame. I was reluctant to face Damon right now, and he knew why. "I'm sure I will soon though," I said glancing at him then walking and picking up the only white oak stake that we could find. "He's expecting me to deliver two stakes, I only have one." "Well, that's gonna be disappointing for him." "I'll get it out of Alaric. I just need some time." "I like that confidence, Stefan. I don't share it, but I like it," Damon said with a smirk as I rolled my eyes. I definitely wasn't in the mood for this.

"You don't think I can do what it takes." "Well, you're good Stefan again. You're in control. Sorry, you might get the girl but you lose the edge. Speaking of…" Damon cut off as we both heard Elena's footsteps approaching as she walked into the room. "Have you ever flown first class?" Damon asked curiously making Elena's blank face fill with skepticism. "Who did you have to compel for that?" she asked, making me smirk at the assumption she made. "Pft, please. I use miles." Damon then picked up their luggage and walked outside. Elena was about to follow, but she stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. She seemed like she wanted to say something then finally began with, "Stefan…" "Be safe," I said interrupting her. Whatever she was going to say wouldn't change what I believed. She loves him. Somewhere inside her she felt it, but wasn't willing to accept it. She stared at me for a moment then slightly nodded her head and left.

* * *

><p>After Elena and Damon left I decided I'd get started with Alaric. I mean, I didn't have that long before Klaus decided to grace me with his presence so I walked down into the basement and towards Ric's cell. "Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep when that is what you're supposed to do?" Ric asked as he lay in his cot with his eyes closed. "Well, look, I know it's not easy so," I held up a large bottle of whiskey, "Damon suggested that I bring something to help speed up the process." "What the hell," he said in a carefree way as he sat up and I entered his cell. I handed him the large bottle and he said, "You know, I'll feel decidedly less pathetic if I don't drink alone." "Oh, I am one step ahead of you." I raised a glass I had brought for myself then sat down in the chair that was in front of him. Holding up my glass, I waited for Ric to pour me some to begin drinking. "So, road trip, huh?" "Yeah, I needed to stay here." "Why? I mean, why you? You know, it doesn't take much to babysit me while I sit here waiting for a psychotic break." "Well, unfortunately, we only have a limited amount of time." "Before what?" he asked with narrowed eyes. "Before we have to resort to other methods." "So, you're worried that you're gonna have to torture me. You don't think Damon could have done that?" "Look," I said with a sigh as I leaned forward and put my arms on my legs, "Elena needed to go on that road trip with Damon. No matter what I go through to get her back; fighting my bloodlust, trying to gain control of my life again… None of that matters if she has feelings for somebody else."<p>

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><p>Gene's POV<p>

It was finally time. After waiting in Kol's apartment for an hour we were finally going to meet Jeremy. Kol seemed happy, too, because I wouldn't stop whining. We were now arriving at a set of batting cages that Kol said he and Jeremy have been frequenting lately. Didn't surprise me, since Jeremy is an athletic type of guy. As we walked towards their meeting spot I heard an oh-so-familiar voice that made me grab Kol's arm to hold him back from doing anything… drastic. I was clutching onto his arm for dear life as I hid behind him when I heard Jeremy say, "My friend just got here and yes, Damon, I actually have some. I'll call you when I'm done."

That was when I peeked out from behind him. When Jeremy saw me he instantly stopped and stared at me with a silly face. He was going to walk over to say hi when Elena saw Kol. "Damon, it's Kol!" At that point Kol grabbed a wooden baseball bat and pushed me behind him. I was going to stop him when he sent me a warning look, so I stepped back. While Kol decided to hit Damon upside the head with it, I ran to Jeremy and wrapped my arms and legs around him. "Jeremy!" I shouted through giggles as a shocked and worried Elena looked between the fight and our reunion with various emotions. "Gene?" Jeremy asked with a confused voice as the wooden bat broke and he turned to Kol with shocked eyes. "What are you doing?!" "Jeremy, get back! He's an Original." "No hard feelings, mate. But we're not buds," Kol said then grabbed an aluminum bat from the rack.

"You know, I'll never get use to aluminum. But hey, at least it won't break." Kol was about to hit Damon with the new bat, but before he could, Damon picked up one of the halves of the wooden bat and stabbed him through the chest. Kol fell to the ground and Damon finally turned to me. "You," he growled out, making me shrink back in fear and bump into Jeremy's chest. "Damon," Jeremy warned, but to no avail. Damon marched over to me and grabbed onto my arm roughly. I whimpered at the pain I felt as he roughly pushed me onto the floor next to Kol's body. "Damon!" Elena yelled, but still nothing. When I looked up my eyes were watering with tears, and my hand was unconsciously rubbing my sore arm. "Stay away from Elena and Jeremy," he growled at me then grabbed the two humans and walked away.

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

After the scene Damon made he hadn't said a word. He drove in silence towards a motel where he parked then got out to get a room. I watched with sad eyes as his anger rolled off of him in waves, and Jeremy stared in anger. "What was that all about?" he asked me. For a moment I didn't say anything, because I didn't know what to say. So much has happened since Jer left. But how do I tell him that Gene has apparently switched sides? He and Gene were always close, and it might break him. But he deserves the truth. "Gene said she is going to fight us to protect Klaus." Silence. When I looked back to check if Jeremy heard me I was shocked to see the look on his face. He didn't even seem fazed.

"Well, she does love him. What's the big deal? Stefan did it to protect Damon, right?" At that I froze. Stefan did do it to protect Damon. It made me smile, but that changed when I realized we still haven't told Jeremy why we needed him. "So Jer, we're going to need you to contact Rose." "But I never knew her." "Yeah, but we can use her relationship with Damon. We need to just try it." With a heavy sigh Jeremy nodded his head and the conversation ended, right as Damon came back. He was smirking as usual, and he was acting like he didn't just hurt Gene. He immediately walked to the trunk, Jeremy and I following, and said, "For the record, she's the one who wanted to stay in a motel, not me." "So, where are we?" Jeremy asked, doing the same. "Corner of somewhere and nowhere where Kol can't find us." "I can't believe Kol was a vampire," Jeremy thought out loud, and Damon just stared at him with a dumbfounded face. "Well, didn't you find it weird that you made a friend so fast? Have you met you?" At that I sent him a glare as we walked up a flight of stairs towards the room we got. "Not helping."

"Well, this should work, right Jer?" I asked my big, little brother with a smile. It was just nice to have him near me again. "Yeah, doesn't really matter." "Alright Whoopi, what do you need?" Damon asked as he closed the curtains. "Candles? Incense? Pottery wheel?" "That's not how it works." "I know, I know. They push from the other side and you pull from this one." Jeremy nodded then said, "Alright, you uh- you got a picture of her?" Damon's smirk fell to a blank one as he shook his head. "Picture? What, a trip to Disneyland? Come on Rose, you're not gonna actually make us wait, are you? I know you're obsessed with me," he yelled up to the ceiling making me scoff. I took a seat next to Jeremy and leaned my head against his shoulder. It was a small gesture, but it put me at ease. "Alright, uh- tell me something about her."

Damon's smirk fell as he got serious and sat down on the edge of the opposite bed. "Um, well she does this little thing with her tongue." "Something that matters, Damon," I shouted making him smirk for a second, then get serious again. "She spent her last day in paradise. Soaking in the sun and reminiscing about what it means to be human. And when death came, she didn't fear it." The idea made me frown, because it wasn't true. "I was with her on her last day and she definitely wasn't in paradise." "It was in the dream he gave her. She's here."

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><p>Rebekah's POV<p>

"Here we are," Matt said as he put his truck in park outside my house. He was sweet and had given me a ride home from the dance committee. "Home, sweet, home." "Okay, spill. Why are you being nice to me?" I asked with a frown as I watched him carefully. He never so much as gives me the time of day, but now… "I drove you home. You don't have a car." "Not just that, I mean, helping me with the dance and then standing up to Caroline. I don't buy it." "Buy what?" "The whole gentlemanly thing. After everything my family has done to you. What are you up to?" Matt seemed at a loss of words for a moment as he shook his head at me. "It's sad that you can't just get a ride home from school without thinking there is some ulterior motive." That stung me a bit, but he was right. Letting out a sigh I nodded my head, "You're right. I'm probably gonna organize the whole dance and then have to compel myself a date." "Let's not get crazy. Good bye, Rebekah." "Good bye, Matt. Thanks for the ride."

Slowly, I got out of the car and watched him drive away. I probably understood my infatuation with him as much as Kol or Klaus did. I was just drawn to him. He was beautiful in all his humanity. He made me think of the 'what if'. What if I was human? Would he love me then? With a heavy sigh I walked into the house, then noticed someone standing in front of the fireplace. My eyes shot open at the familiarity of the woman and my heart began to race. "Ayana," I growled then rushed over to her. She wasn't shocked in the least when I grabbed her by her throat and pushed her against the wall. Her face was emotionless and cold. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." At that, she broke her emotionless facade and a sinister smirk filled her face. For a moment I was filled with fear, but I quickly shook it off and continued my glare. "Because Genevieve sent me."

* * *

><p>Jeremy's POV<p>

"Is she lonely on the other side?" Elena asked me with a small frown from beside me. Rose was sitting next to Damon on the opposite bed from us and was smiling at the two of them. "No. I enjoy it. I was running so much when I was alive, now I have the freedom to do whatever I want," she told me with a smile, that made me smile. "She says not to worry, she's happy." "Is she still hot?" Damon asked, making my smile fall to a blank face. Wow, what a douche. Rose didn't seem insulted in the least when she began to check Damon out with a flirty smirk on her face. "Tell him he's still dripping with sex too." That made me want to barf. I just stared at her with an incredulous look, making her laugh. "Fine, tell him I miss him." "She misses you," I said to Damon, who actually… smiled? "And tell him I'm rooting for him and Elena." My face filled with complete shock. "She uh- she misses both of you."

"Unfortunately, I don't have any news on the siring front. Klaus didn't sire me. No Original did. It was Mary Porter," she said with a frown, that made me frown. "She was sired by someone named Mary Porter." "Uh – Scary Mary. Well, where is she, Rose?" Damon asked as he looked around the room, even though Rose was still sitting right next to him. "I didn't keep track of her when I was alive, much less now. Tell them to sit tight, relax, I'll see what I can find out."

Stefan's POV

Ric and I were still sitting together in the cellar, and still, nothing has happened. "I assume they've got Jeremy by now?" Ric asked and I just shrugged. "They should. Haven't heard from them. Elena's worried about him; knowing that she can't count on his ring anymore." "Who knows? Maybe his alter ego is a pot smoking, hippie pacifist," Ric joked. "Yeah, maybe." "I can't say, I thought mine would be so hostile and militant." "That actually makes perfect sense. Your wife left you to become a vampire and your girlfriend was killed by one," I explained, but he didn't budge. "You must really hate me. Here I am, the failed hunter slash drinking buddy of vampires." "Ah, he's too judgmental." Ric nodded as he let out a forced chuckle, "The thing is, he's me. I'm not compelled, I'm not possessed, there's no humanity switch. What drives him is me." "No. No, he's not you. He's the darkest parts of you. The parts we all have."

Just then, Klaus entered the cell with a frown on his face. "Well, this is depressing, isn't it?" "Oh, and I found this upstairs," Klaus said holding up the single white oak stake that we had. "Now, by my count, there should be one more." "Yeah, well it's gonna take a little more time." "Why? Because we're waiting for that one to pass out?" he asked as he gestured towards Ric, "No thanks. I think I'll just kill him." "Well, then you won't know the location of the other stake," I said with a shrug. "I can live with that." That shocked me.

"Well, I can't. When we staked Finn, we discovered that killing an Original vampire killed its entire bloodline. Now, I don't know which one of you I'm descended from, but I'd really rather not find out by dying, so why don't we just find the stake, destroy it, so we can all be safe?" "So, the fate of the entire vampire race depends on you finding a stake? And to get it we need you to pass out. Which means that I feel totally justified doing this," he said then rushed at Alaric and broke his neck. Ric's body fell as he lay lifelessly on his cot, and I glared at Klaus. "There. Sleeping like a baby."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

To my displeasure, I had to carry Kol to his car, drive him to his apartment (even though I got lost for twenty minutes), then carry him into his living room. As I waited for him to wake up I sat on the couch with his head in my lap and watched NCIS. I love these crime scene shows. Right when a new episode had just begun my phone went off playing Nik's ringtone. My bored face instantly filled with a smile as I grabbed my phone and answered the call. "Well, hello my darling." "Hello, my little vie. How's Denver?" "Boring. Kol got staked with a bat. So now I'm waiting for him to wake up," I said with a sigh. On the other end of the line I could hear Nik laughing at me. "Yes, well that does sound boring. I've called to tell you that your brothers are looking for who sired them so they can kill me. They were sired by Katerina, who was sired by Rose, who was sired by a woman named Mary Porter, who indeed was sired by me. They don't know that, however, so they'll go to her for answers." I was silent. I didn't know what to say. The subject was touchy for me. "Where is she?" I asked in a quiet tone. "Kansas. So I suggest you leave soon. I love you Genevieve." "I love you too Nik," I said then hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

I got a phone call from Stefan, so I went outside to answer it. "There you are. Any sign of Evil-laric?" "Nope, only dead Alaric." "What?" I asked in shock. I leave Stefan in charge only for Ric to die? Not cool. "Don't worry, he was wearing his ring. Klaus was here, let's just say he's not very patient." "Kol must have told him we were in Denver. How long has Ric been out?" I asked curiously and Stefan stayed silent in thought. "A few hours. I'm hoping when he wakes up, it won't be him, it'll be the other him." "And if not?" Stefan sighed, "Yeah, I know. Whatever it takes. So, were you able to contact Rose?" "Yeah, no answers yet. So, we're just stuck in this motel until she gets back to us." I felt bad, yet slightly amused, as soon as the words left my mouth. "A motel?" "Yeah, we had to get away from Kol. I'll call you when I know more," I said hanging up the phone and walking inside the room.

Jeremy was watching tv on one bed, and Elena was going through the luggage on the other. "Everything okay in here?" I asked with a slight smirk on my face. Elena seemed a bit embarrassed, but Jeremy was nonchalant. "Yeah. It's fine." "Okay, well, I'm gonna freshen up. You might want to get some rest. I'm sure Rose will make herself known when she gets back."

* * *

><p>Rebekah's POV<p>

"How are you here? Why did Genevieve send you?" I asked as I let her go and walked to sit down on the couch. No use wasting my energy. "Genevieve has been acting recklessly as of late. So she has, in a way, accumulated a debt to the witches. I am here to help her in her plans to repay that debt." "Well, if you've come to reminisce about the past you're wasting your time." Ayana chuckled as she made her way over to the opposite couch from me. Her face returned to an emotionless mask, and I was starting to get annoyed. "Is that what you think I have come for? I have watched you and your family for a thousand years. Watched your joy and heartbreak. How you always fought with Niklaus, the nights you cried yourself to sleep calling out your wretched mother's name. Not a day has gone by that I wasn't right there watching in joy as you all suffered." At that I growled angrily. Her words were not only rude, but contradicting.

"If you hate my family and I so much why are you helping Gene?" "Because she isn't an abomination. She is a witch. And although you all take her abilities for granted, she has the power to change everything as you know it. We witches like to refer to her as the goddess of the Earth." My eyes widened in shock. Gene is so powerful that the witches would refer to her as a goddess? Yet she defies them so willingly. While I was lost in thought, I hadn't noticed that Ayana stood from her seat on the couch and was now standing in front of me. I was right about to run away from her when she placed her hand on my head and began chanting a spell. As soon as she began the spell my head felt like it was being split in two. All I could do was scream out in pain. But in mere seconds… the pain was gone...

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

While Elena and Jeremy rested I decided to take a shower. It felt nice to let the hot water hit my achy muscles, and I was able to think about Gene. My baby girl… She has grown up before my eyes, and now she is in love. The thought of her choosing someone over me or Stefan made my heart throb. We were supposed to stick together… But I guess things change.

After my shower I quickly put on my underwear and jeans then tossed my towel over my shoulder and walked out of the bathroom. I made my way over to the small fridge that held various small bottles of liquor and grabbed a whiskey then put my shirt on. Although Elena was in bed, pretending to be asleep, I could feel her eyes on me as I poured the whiskey into a glass then sat down. With one long swig I finished the glass then placed it down onto the round table. I stayed still for a moment, then looked over at Elena in time to see her quickly close her eyes. As she pretended to be asleep I studied her beautiful face. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at me. We stared at each other in silence for a moment. Neither one of us wanting to break contact. After a minute of staring I got up from my seat and walked over to the bed she was lying in and lay down next to her. "You never told me about that. What you did for Rose." "It wasn't about you." "Why don't you let people see the good in you?" she asked with genuine curiosity on her face. Being next to her, her not pushing me away, it all made my heart pound viciously in my chest.

As she whispered her breath hit my lips and sent shivers down my spine. What I wouldn't give to just hold her in my arms… "When people see good, they expect good. And I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations." When I said that her eyes widened for a brief moment then filled with sadness and turned her head away. I frowned at not being able to look into her eyes any longer, but smiled when she put her arm by her side. I gently grabbed her hand and lightly caressed it, smirking when she began to breathe heavier. Before I could say anything she stoop from the bed, grabbed her coat, and walked out of the room. I immediately ran after her and saw that she was leaning on the ice machine.

"Don't," she said with a frown on her face, but I only frowned in return when I saw the mixed emotions in her eyes. "Why not? Elena…" I began as I walked towards her, but was rudely interrupted by her running at me and kissing me. My mind went blank for a millisecond until I realized what was happening. We were kissing. As our lips passionately moved with each other's I walked us backwards, my hands on her waist, and pushed her against a pillar. The moment grew intense when I lost control. I began kissing her jawline, slowly moving my way down to her neck. But instead of being scared or hesitant, she lifted her neck to give me better access. We stopped for a moment and looked into each other's eyes. That's when I knew. She loves me just as much as I love her. The reality of all just made me want to kiss her even more. So I did.

While we were kissing, Jeremy walked out of the room and interrupted our moment. Elena immediately pulled away from me and we both looked over at him. His face made me want to kill him. He was sending Elena a look that said, 'Ew, did you really just do that?'. "Elena?" "Oh my God, Jeremy. I…" she began to try and come up with an excuse for what he just saw. "Rose found Mary. She lives in Kansas." "Okay then. Let's go," I said walking into the hotel room and leaving Elena and Jeremy alone.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

Ric was still dead, and has been for a while now. So in order to pass time I've been reading Moby Dick. It was dead silent for a long time, until I heard the quiet and erratic heartbeat of the recently come back to life Alaric. "Welcome back." "What happened?" he groaned out as he sat up on the cot and rubbed at his sore neck. "Did I uh..?" "No, you pretty much laid there dead for half the night. But on the uh- on the plus side, I did almost finish reading Moby Dick," I said in a joking tone and walked over to him.

"This is stupid. Evil me or whatever you want to call him, he's not gonna make an appearance. Why would he? I mean, the best hiding place is the one where you can't find the person who hid it." "I know." "So, how do you want to do this?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair and shaking my head. "I don't want to do any of this." "Well, that makes two of us. But I don't think we have much choice in the matter."

When I looked over at Ric all the humour had left from his eyes. He was dead serious, and had took off his ring. "Wait, wait, what are you doing?" I asked while holding up a hand to try and stop him. "You need that ring." "No, what I need is hope that my alter ego doesn't have a death wish. So, I'm taking bets that my dark side has a sense of self-preservation. So, let's see if he defends himself against death." I didn't know what to think. I know this is what should be done, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Look, Alaric, I'm not gonna kill you, okay?" "If we have any chance at this, Stefan, you're gonna have to try."

His face was completely serious. He was honestly asking me to do this to him. I watched him for a moment then nodded my head. Looking back up at him, I got serious as well then rushed over to him and punched him.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After we finally arrived to Mary's house and Kol woke up every was strictly business. I had offered to help Kol, but he said it was his job and that I should watch out for my brother. Basically, he didn't want me to get in the way. But after 30 minutes of waiting outside I just went inside to look around. "I thought I told you to stay outside," Kol said the second I stepped foot inside. His arms were crossed and his face held an angry frown. "I was bored," I whined as I slumped over to him and grabbed onto his arm to bug him, but he just rolled his eyes. "Booboo, entertain me." Kol was right about to reply when we heard the sound of a car pulling up and then shutting down. My eyes widened in shock and I turned to Kol with a questioning look. "I want to talk to Jeremy." Kol sighed, "Fine, but as soon as I finish with your brother we're leaving." My eyes lit up as I nodded my head and threw my arms around Kol in excitement. The only words I said were a repetition of, "Thank you."

Soon, Elena and Damon both were standing in front of the door and were about to open it. Without a single word, Kol and I both went our separate ways. Him, to Mary's already dead body. Me, into the broom closet so I can run outside when Damon and Elena walked away. "Oof, like Vampire Hoarders." "Who is this Mary person?" Elena asked making me roll my eyes. She's in for a treat. "Scary Mary. She's really old, super creepy." "And how do you know her?" "I dated her," he said nonchalantly, but Elena only mumbled out, "Of course." "What? I said creepy, not ugly." They're taking forever, I thought to myself, and I guess Kol did too. From Kol's general direction of the house there was a loud bang, because he probably got frustrated they were taking so long and kicked something. Damon and Elena soon both followed the noise, like idiots, and I quickly ran outside.

Jeremy was leaning against Damon's car and looking up at the sky. So I decided I would have a little fun. I silently and quickly ran over to his side and leaned against the car next to him. "The sky is so beautiful," he mumbled mindlessly. "Yeah, it is." Hearing my voice Jeremy visibly jumped and threw himself on top of me with his hand holding my throat. "Whoa Jer. If you wanted to get kinky all you had to do was say so," I said with a flirty smirk. Jeremy's face was filled with shock when he realized it was me, then flushed red at my words. "Gene, you almost gave me a heart attack!" "Well you're the jumpy one." He sighed, then let me go and stood in his previous spot next to me. "So I guess a lot has changed since I've been gone?" he said with a sad smile. I only glanced at him. I couldn't face him, knowing that he probably knew what was going on between our friends and I. "Jer," I began, but was cut off by Jeremy pulling me into his arms.

"When was the last time you put your happiness before Damon and Stefan's?" he asked me, and I honestly had to think about it. While I thought we both stood with our arms around each other. That's when I really noticed how much Jeremy's grown. Sixteen, and already he was taller than me. "I guess it was around the twenties when I had got frustrated with Damon's constant search for Katherine and ripper Stefan." "You see? That was ninety years ago. You deserve to be happy, too." I laughed at the truth behind Jeremy's words then pulled away from our tight hug. "Look at you. So mature and insightful," I joked as I returned to leaning on the truck. "Yeah, well living in our world will do that to you."

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

I was still hitting Alaric, but not with all my strength. I was holding back. I couldn't hurt him this much. It's not me. And Ric knew that. "You're not putting enough into this." "If I put any more into it, I'm gonna break your spine," I said then threw another punch. Ric fell to the floor from the impact and blood began to seep from his lift. At the mere sight of the blood my veins appeared, while Ric spit out a tooth I had knocked out. When my fangs began to grow I turned away from the alluring sight. "Well don't back down now." "No, no, no, no, no, I can't… the blood." "Come on, you're past that," Ric said as he stood up from the floor. I shook my head, "No, I'm not." "Then use it! Give into it! Try and kill me, Stefan. Come on!" "Not like this, Alaric." "Yes, like this! You're gonna have to want to kill me for me to believe that you will." "If I go this far, I may not be able to stop." "If you want the answers from my darkest side, you're gonna have to tap into yours. So, don't back down, don't fight it. Just do it. Do it!" Alaric said, grabbing me by my shirt and viciously shaking me.

Being in this close of proximity to his blood, I lost control. I allowed my fangs and veins to show themselves as I threw Ric against a brick wall with all of my force. But I immediately calmed down when he fell to the floor and started laughing. "You're so weak," he criticised as he got up from the floor. "Look at you, one of nature's most hideous creatures and you can't even get that right." "You." "Me."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After about ten minutes of just talking and catching up, Kol finally came outside. I was a bit sad when he did, because it wasn't that much time that I got to spend with Jeremy, but I was happy because it wasn't that much time he spent torturing Damon. "Let's go love muffin," Kol teased as he strutted his way over to me. I pouted at the stupid nickname and the teasing smirk on his face. Next to me, Jeremy tensed a bit, ready to move if Kol were to attack. I noticed and put a reassuring hand on Jeremy's arm. "Well, it was nice seeing you Jer," I smiled then gave him a quick hug. He returned it, but the whole time he kept wary eyes on Kol's idiotic smirking face. "I'll see you back in Mystic Falls," he smiled when I let go.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

"Where's the stake?" I asked Evil Alaric. "You're worse than I ever was. Spineless, pathetic." "Tell me where the stake is before I kill you," I growled out, but it only made him laugh. "You know you're all gonna burn. Ashes to dust." At that, I got pissed off so I grabbed him by his throat and punched him a few times. "Where's the stake?!" He didn't answer, so I hit him again, then put him in a chokehold. "I'm gonna kill you in three… two…one." "It's in the cave," he groaned out to my relief. I'm not sure what I would have done if he didn't believe that I would kill him. "Where no vampire can get it." And my relief was gone. I angrily threw him on the ground then walked out of his cell, locking the door behind him and walked upstairs to the living room. Klaus and Rebekah were both lounging on the couches waiting for me. "That wasn't too hard, was it?" Klaus smirked.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

"Are you okay?" Elena asked as she held my head in her lap after Kol kicked my ass. Not one of my most proud moments. "Yeah," I groaned then popped my arm back into its socket. "That's better," I sighed out then looked up at Elan's face and lightly caressed it. She had a cut on her forehead, and when I touched it she gasped in pain. "Are you okay? You're bleeding." "Yeah. I'll be fine," she said with a smile as she removed my hand from her face. She held it for a moment, then let go and turned away from me as I sat up.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. She seemed confused by my question when she asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, this trip and you kissing me. What the hell is this?" "Stefan thinks that I have feelings for you." Well that hurt. She came because he wants her to sort out her feelings? Did she not want to acknowledge her feelings for me? "Do you?" I asked with hopeful eyes, but she just shook her head. "I- I don't – I don't know." "Hm. I guess you thought this little trip could help you figure that out, didn't you?" "No," she denied, but I kept rambling on. "Or maybe you were hoping I'd screw it up, so I could just make the decision for you, am I wrong?" "Damon…" "Am I wrong?" "It's what you do, Damon. You sabotage things, you… I mean, think about it, every time there's a bump in the road, you lash out." "What if I didn't? What if there was no bump?" I asked. She was quiet. Her eyes were getting watery and I could see that she thought that she was sparing my feelings. Oh, how wrong she was. "I'm sorry, Elena. This time I'm not gonna make it so easy for you. This time you'll have to figure it out for yourself," I said then walked out of the room and left her there.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

After we finally figured out where the missing stake was, I finally got to rest. I sat lounging on a couch as Klaus poured himself a drink and Rebekah brought Evil Ric up from the basement. "That's a little gratuitous, don't you think, Stefan? I would have been more gentle," Klaus criticised, but I didn't care. It was highly unlikely that he would have been more gentle than me. "I'm gonna take him to the caves. You're gonna go inside and fetch me the stake and if you think you're gonna hide, you're wrong," Rebekah ordered then pushed Ric out the door. "And then there was one. I know about your brother's little mission to Denver. He failed. Not that that's news anymore," Klaus commented then took a drink of his alcohol. "So, what are you gonna do now, Klaus? You gonna kill me?" "I haven't actually decided yet. I, unlike you, like to think of Genevieve's feeling on the matter." "Aww, sure you have. I know what a monster you are. But when it comes to my sister, you are a tamed dog. You wouldn't do anything to risk losing her." Klaus chuckled at my revelation then nodded his head. "You know something, you're right. But you see, I'm also still waiting for my old friend to come back. By the looks of it, he's just beneath the surface. Waiting to come out and play. Isn't that right, Ripper?" "I've been fighting that part of myself, thinking that if I repressed it then it would go away. But it won't. And now that I've accepted it, it can't control me. And neither can you. So, unless you're gonna stake me, why don't you get the hell out of my house?" I said then left to go to my room.

* * *

><p>Jeremy's POV<p>

We were finally driving to head back to Mystic Falls. The car was silent, so I figured that Elena and Damon had a fight. Then I noticed that Rose had appeared. She looked like she had been here the whole time driving with us and bored of it. "Are we there yet? Don't tell them I'm here," she said so I shook my head to answer her question. "They had a fight," she added, making me smile because I was right. "I know you want to stop it. Protect her from him. But you're young, you don't see what I see. It's not just that she makes him a better person, she does, but he changes her too. Damon challenges her, surprises her, he makes her question her life, beliefs. Stefan is different, his love is pure, he'll always be good for her. Damon is either the best thing for her or the worst," she said then disappeared.

* * *

><p>Rebekah's POV<p>

After an agonizingly slow walk to the caves, Alaric and I had finally arrived. We were now walking through the various tunnels when we came to the entrance of the cave. Alaric had entered passed the barrier. "Go get it. You know I cannot get in," I ordered. He slowly walked over to a small crevice in the stone walls and pulled out the stake, then sat down on Esther's coffin that had been left inside. "Now why would I give you the one thing that requires everyone to keep me alive?" he asked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at his impudence "Are we bargaining now? Fine. What's your offer?" "There's only one stake out there. Which means only one Original has to die. Help me and I'll make sure it's not you."

"Tenuous, but points for effort. You see, I don't want one Original to die," I said with a smirk then stepped passed the vampire barrier. Alaric's smirk fell to a genuine look of surprise, making me smirk. "I want them all to die." "How the hell did you do that?" "It was easy to fool Niklaus, but I thought you of all people would understand. After all, that abominable man did use your body at one point." "You're not Rebekah." "No. My name is Ayana and we have a great deal in common."


	22. Chapter 21 - The End

Since I've been updating late recently I decided to post this last chapter early.

Yes, I said _last_ chapter. Thank you all so much for your support and love, and I hope you love the twist I added ;)

* * *

><p>Ayana's POV<p>

"What took you so long?" Niklaus asked me as I walked into his study to hand him the white oak stake. He was currently working on an abstract painting with his back towards me. "Alaric didn't want to hand over the stake," I said showing it to him. "Luckily I'm quite the charmer." "That's it?" he asked as he looked over at me. "The last of the white oak stakes that can kill us. Do you want to do the honors or shall I?" Niklaus put his paintbrush down, then took the stake from my hands. He studied it for a second then threw it into the blazing fireplace. "Well that's that then." "Pack your bags, we're leaving." "Today?" I asked in a fake sad mood. "Why not? There's nothing keeping us here. We'll grab the Doppelgänger and be off as soon as Genevieve arrives." "But tonight is the decade dance." "So?" "So, I'm head of the committee, we have to go." "I'm not going to any dance." "Caroline will be there," I persuaded. And even though just seconds ago he was speaking of Genevieve I saw that he was beginning to be persuaded. "That means nothing to me," he retorted, making me sigh. "Please, I have big plans for tonight. Just go for me." After he let out an annoyed sigh, he finally agreed, "Okay, fine. One last hoorah." "One last hoorah, Niklaus."

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

In the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon Salvatore stood in front of a burning fireplace while he spoke on the phone to Alaric Saltzman. "Where've you been? I've been calling you all day." "Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed to get my head together." "So I take it Rebekah got the stake?" "I don't know. I woke up alone. There's no sign of it." "Lovely. What now?" "Well I think I need to get out of town. Somewhere secluded. I keep blacking out which means I'm still a threat to everyone." At that, Damon had began to sense that something was off with Ric. "I don't know if right now is the best time for you to be going on a spirit quest, Ric." "It's just for a couple of days. I'm stocked up on Bonnie's herbs, so I should be fine. I gotta go," Alaric said then hung up and left a suspicious Damon on the phone.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After Ric hung up the phone I walked into the coffin room where Rebekah's empty coffin lay. "You're quite the cunning liar," I commented making Evil Alaric turn to me with a smirk. "Well your brother is too arrogant to think his only friend would betray him." "Just as Niklaus would blindly accept an invitation from his beloved sister, unaware that he is heading to his own death," Ayana said joining us in the coffin room. Her smirk matched Alaric's, but I couldn't help but frown. I hated this whole secret agenda I had going on, but it must be done. As the two continued in idle chat about the plan, I grabbed a silver dagger and dipped it into the jar of white oak ash. "So where's the real one?" Ric asked. "You'll get it when the time comes," I said as I gestured for Ayana to approach. "So how do you…" Ric left off, gesturing between the dagger and Ayana in Rebekah's body. "How does she relinquish control? With a little magic." Before anything could be said from either of my two companions I ran at Ayana and stabbed the dagger into Rebekah's chest. Slowly, her skin began to turn a sickly grey and the veins began to protrude from her body. Rebekah's body collapsed, and with a flicker from the candles in the room, Ayanna's soul returned to the other side. I very carefully picked up Rebekah's body then gently lay her in her coffin.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

After cleaning up my room a bit in search of my phone I was disappointed to find that it wasn't there. But from downstairs I could hear that it was ringing. I quickly ran down to the living room and saw that I was getting a call from Elena. "Hey…" "Hey...do you, do you have a second?" she stuttered out. "Yeah, everything alright?" "Yeah, yeah I just um.. I wanted to uh... Caroline and I were talking about going to the dance and um…" she stammered, making me want to laugh a bit at the awkward way she was acting. But for the sake of not embarrassing her, I refrained. "Okay look, I know where we're at, you and I, and I know it would be stupid to even think that we could go back to the way things were, but I'm going to the dance and I'd like to go with you." "Um, I'd love that," I said with a shocked expression as a giant smile spread across my face. "Okay, great. Bye."

When I hung up the phone my smile was still visible on my face, until Damon walked in. My smile quickly faded to a sorry frown. "I'm thinking gardenia corsage. Wrist obviously, you don't want to accidentally stab her in the chest with the pin now that could get messy." "Damon, I…" I began to try to explain, but he walked out before I could say anything more.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

I silently watched Meredith as she walked down an empty hall of the hospital. I guess she had sensed me staring or following her, because she turned around to check for anyone. As soon as she began to turn her head to continue walking I vamped in front of her. When she faced forwards and saw me she jumped and let out a scared squeal. "Don't do that, it's not funny!" she shouted as she put a hand over her racing heart. "Oh, come on, it's a little funny." "What do you want Damon?" "I need medical advice. For a friend. Alaric, you remember him, right? About 6'2", tried to hack you into pieces," I said sarcastically and Meredith nodded her head. "How is he? Are those herbs that Bonnie made for him working?" she asked with a genuinely concerned face. I nodded my head in a so-so manner and said, "I don't know." I then showed her a full jar of herbs. Specifically the herbs Ric was supposed to be taking. "Can they work if he doesn't take them? I found these in his loft untouched."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After carefully putting Bekah in her coffin and sneaking out of the house without Nik knowing, Evil Ric and I _walked_ to the Cemetery. Let me just say, I _hate_ walking. "Why are we here?" Ric asked in an annoyed tone as we walked up to the Salvatore Tomb. "Long ago on this spot Nik tore Esther's heart from her chest. The violence of her death marked this ground for all time," I said as we entered. Inside on one of the coffins was a bowl that I would use to do the spell. Ric stayed on the opposite side of the coffin from me as a precautionary measure. "I'll need your ring," I said as I held out my hand. "Now, why would I give you the one thing that protects me from death?" "I'll give you all the protection you need. But the stake will burn up in the body of its first victim. So if you want to kill all the originals I'll need to bind the protective magic in your ring to the stake. It will make the white oak indestructible."

After hearing my explanation Ric gave in and gave me the ring. Right when it was out of his hands I looked up at him with an evil smirk and added, "I could kill you even if you have this on." Alaric's face remained stoic at that small revelation, but his eyes filled with fear. It made me laugh. After I finished laughing I dropped the ring into a bowl and began chanting the spell. Flames suddenly burst from the bowl and the ring began to melt. Ric watched in awe as I took the white oak stake and mixed the top of it into the melted metal. In order for the spell to fully bind with the wood, I flipped it over so that the metal slowly ran down the wood and cooled. "The ultimate weapon for the ultimate hunter."

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

After over an hour of getting ready for the dance, I was finally adding the finishing touches to my costume. I was adjusting my head band in the mirror when the doorbell sounded throughout the house. My heart began hammering in my chest from nerves, and the butterflies in my stomach were roaring around. When I opened the door my nervous face immediately brightened with a smile at the sight of the handsome Salvatore. "Wow, you look very dapper," I giggled out. "You look um- very beautiful. Here, I got something for you," he said with a smile then stepped close to me to pin a gorgeous white rose onto my dress. "Thank you."

Stefan nodded his head then let out a slight sigh, "So, given our dangerous dance karma, sure you're up for this?" "Getting out of bed is dangerous these days. But we have to live our lives." "Hmm," he said in fake thought, but I could see the happiness in eyes from what I said. "Who gave you that horrible advice?" "Some guy I used to date said it once or twice." "Right." "Shall we?" I asked with a smile and Stefan perked up when he remembered we had a dance to go to. "Please."

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

In the Mystic Falls High School gym a large sea of teenagers danced to the music that came from a DJ that was on the stage. Among the sea of dancing bodies, off to the side where they could make an easy getaway, Bonnie and Jamie danced together. At the side of the large gym was a small refreshments table where Matt stood pouring himself a cup of punch. Caroline was approaching him with a giant smile on her face. "Have I told you how amazingly awesome you are?" she asked him as he turned around with a confused face. "Yeah, I'm one of the good ones, I know…" he replied with a cocky smile that changed to one of suspicion. "Why the compliments, what else do you want?" Caroline's bright smile wavered for a moment, then fell to a hesitant one. She wanted to tell Matt something, that much was obvious. But she wasn't sure how to say it, and didn't want to just bluntly blurt it out.

"I know that you and Elena have been getting closer lately…" she started. Matt's suspicious smile fell to a shocked face. He was surprised that Caroline was saying this, and frankly, a bit hurt. Did she think he was going to try and get her back? The idea of Caroline thinking that angered him. "And your point is...?" "One way or the other she is pretty much spoken for," Caroline said gently, but it only angered Matt more. "Elena is my friend, Caroline. I'm just looking out for her." "And I'm just looking out for you," Caroline added gently, making Matt's angry mood diminish a bit. "Because sometimes the people who love her get caught in the crossfire."

After their small heart-to-heart, Matt spotted someone behind Caroline. He was ecstatic to see the familiar face, but at the same time, he was worried. "What's he doing here?" he asked Caroline as he gestured his head behind her. Caroline gave him a confused face for a moment then turned around to see Tyler walking up to them. Her confused face filled with shock and worry as she began scanning the crowd for any signs of an original. "Are you crazy?" she shouted walking up to him, "If Klaus sees you…" "What's he gonna do? Draw you another picture?" Tyler interrupted with a large amount of attitude. "Tyler, this isn't a joke!" "I can pretend I'm sired if I have to. But I'm not gonna hide while he's macking all over you," the beautiful blonde rolled her eyes at the outrageous words and shook her head with disbelieving eyes. "Tyler, you do not need to be jealous of Klaus." "I am jealous, but I'm also competitive. So hang on, I'm about to sweep you off your feet," he smirked then literally swept her off her feet. He held her in his arms and began to spin around, smiling at the musical sound of her giggling.

As Tyler and Caroline had a small moment of happiness, Elena and Stefan both entered the crowded gymnasium. Elena's face immediately filled with a mischievous grin as she grabbed Stefan's hand and began to pull him towards the large mass of dancing teenagers. "Teach me some moves." "Oh no, no, no, no," Stefan began to protest as he reluctantly allowed Elena to pull him. "I blacked out for most of this decade, remember?" "Nice try!" Elena succeeded in pulling him onto the dance floor as a slow, romantic song began playing throughout the gym. Stefan had one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her close to him, and his free hand was holding one of hers to lead her in their slow, swaying motion. From the corner of his eyes Stefan was able to see Bonnie and Jamie slow dancing to the song as well, making him smile. "Bonnie seems happy." "She's working on it." "I've been meaning to talk to her. Apologize." "Yeah, you should," she said with a nod of her head, "although I wouldn't expect her to forgive you. Or Damon," she added with a frown.

At the mention of Damon, Elena pulled away from Stefan and stopped their slow dancing. "Listen, Stefan, about Damon... We should probably talk about the trip to Denver." She didn't meet his eyes at first, scared of what she might see in them. But mostly, scared of what he would see in her eyes. Stefan didn't say anything, but instead pulled Elena back into his arms to continue slow dancing. "I don't need to know, Elena. When all this is over, if you and I find our way back to each other, you can tell me if you want to. Otherwise I don't need to know. I don't want to know." Elena's face was filled with shock as she studied his face. She was searching for any hint of a lie, but found that he meant what he said 100%. "How can you be so fair about this?" Stefan sighed. "Because after everything I've put you through, I'm just honored to be your date tonight." Elena smiled at Stefan's words as he suddenly dipped her in his arms. Her small smile grew exponentially as she began to giggle at the gesture. When she returned to her standing position Damon walked up to them.

"We three need to talk," he said seriously, making Stefan and Elena's happy faces fall. The three of them walked out of the gym to discuss what had happened, when Jeremy saw them leaving. He immediately began to follow after them. While he cut through the large crowd of people in the gym he kept his eyes on the three suspicious people and wasn't watching where he was going. Because of this, Jeremy bumped into someone. His eyes immediately widened in shock as he looked to the guy he bumped to apologize. But when he saw that it was Jamie and Bonnie, his shocked face turned to an awkward smile. "Sorry uh," he told Jamie then turned to Bonnie, "Hey. Bonnie." Bonnie was going to return the hello when she saw the Gilbert ring still sitting on his finger. "Why are you still wearing your ring? Didn't Elena tell you?" she asked in shock. Jeremy nodded his head, "Yeah, I know all about Alaric. When my sister stops hanging out with vampires I'll take it off." He then left the two people and continued to follow Elena, Stefan and Damon.

"Ex-boyfriend?" Jamie asked about the tall young boy walking away from them. "Yep," Bonnie replied with a head nod. "That's not awkward at all."

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

"If Alaric is sick then we need to find a cure. Something," I said hopefully. Damon shook his head with a disheartened look on his face. When I looked into his eyes I could see that he had already lost hope on saving Ric, but I never would. "We tried medicine, we tried magic." "Why don't we get him off vervain, compel him?" Stefan suggested. "What to pretend to be Alaric? The guy that we know is gone. We're talking about someone who not only hates vampires, but vampire sympathizers. Which makes one of his most obvious targets, I don't know, you!" Damon said to me. I was taken aback at Damon's suggestion. Not only because of his harsh tone that made me feel slightly offended, but because he was suggesting Ric would hurt me. "What you think he'd go after Elena?" "So wait, what are you suggesting we do?" I asked Damon hesitantly. Damon let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the floor. After a small pause he looked at me with hurt eyes and said, "I'm suggesting that we put him out of his misery."

"What?!" I immediately shouted just as I heard Jeremy's voice yell, "No, no way in hell!" "Oh come on, It's what he would want. It's a mercy killing," Damon said heartlessly. I couldn't believe he was even suggesting this. "You are out of your mind!" Jeremy yelled then turned and left. "Jeremy…" I called then began following him and not looking back once.

* * *

><p>"Jer, stop…" I shouted at him as he angrily walked out of the school. He did, but only to turn to me with one of the angriest looks I've seen on his face. "This is Alaric we're talking about! He looked out for us, now we need to do the same for him," Jeremy shouted at me and I nodded my head. "No one is gonna hurt him." Jeremy rolled his eyes at my words, making a small pang hit my chest, then turned to walk away again. Before he could leave I reached out and grabbed his arm, then pulled him to face me. "Hey. Hey...Look at me. I promise," I whispered and his angry eyes softened.<p>

Behind him I saw someone approaching. I didn't pay attention to the person until they stopped right behind Jeremy. When I glanced over I saw Gene, but something was off. Her eyes were cold and distant. She was acting like… Vie.

"Elena, if you wanna help Alaric, I suggest you come with me." Her voice sent shivers down my spine. It was completely monotone and she didn't even smile when she saw Jeremy, which was the weirdest thing. Jeremy's face was filled with confusion, but mine was filled with panic. "Jeremy go inside and get Stefan and Damon, now!" I yelled, and for once, Jeremy didn't argue. He immediately ran inside. At that, hurt flashed through Gene's eyes, making me frown. "That hurt," she said looking away from me with a sad chuckle. "But you are coming with me, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming," she said again, returning to her emotionless face.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

When Jeremy had came running for Stefan and I my heart had dropped. He didn't say much, but the panic in his eyes hit me hard. When we were running he shouted something about Gene going off the deep end and coming for Elena. I didn't know what to think. As we ran outside we saw that they were gone. That didn't stop us. We all continued running to try and chase after them, but at some point it felt like I had ran into a wall. Looking around I saw that Stefan had felt it, too, but Jeremy had kept running. When he realized that we weren't following he stopped and turned to us with a confused face. Looking down, I saw that there was a large line of salt. Looking around, I saw that it went around the entire school. "Salt. It's the binding agent for her spell," Stefan said with an angry tone. "We're trapped here."

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After vamping Elena to the cemetery, because I was _not_ willing to walk human speed again, we slowly began to walk towards the Salvatore tomb. "Sorry for taking you from the dance. I need your blood as a binding agent for a spell," I said nonchalantly and Elena seemed a bit less worried. She nodded her head then hesitantly said, "Just please don't hurt Alaric." "She's not hurting me," he said once we walked inside. Elena's face filled with relief and happiness when she saw him. "Ric!" she shouted as she began to walk over to him, but she soon stopped. I guess it was the close familiarity she had with him, because she seemed to sense that he was different. "What's going on? What are you doing with him?" she asked me. "I'm going to remake him." "Remake him?" she asked me with fearful eyes.

"I'm going to make him strong and fast, like the Originals. Indestructible. To pay my debt to nature, I will create a vampire who hunts vampires." Her eyes widened in shock at my words, but it didn't bother me. She wouldn't understand. "You can't create another Original. What if he turns out to be an even bigger monster than them?" she asked then seemed to realize she just insulted the people I cared about. I rolled my eyes at her sorry face, then shook my head. "He won't now that he has embraced his darkest aspect. His hatred for them will become more pure and uncompromising. In death that hatred will be magnified." "You don't know that," she argued, making me sigh. I was _not_ in the mood to deal with her. "That is where you're wrong. Each time he died with that ring during his brief journey into death Ayana was there on The Other Side. She spoke to him, she nurtured him knowing that every death brought him closer to his true self. Vampires took everything from him. Now he's getting his vengeance."

* * *

><p>Klaus' POV<p>

When I finally arrived at the Mystic Falls High School dance I couldn't keep the smirk off of my face. Being here sent me back to the 20's, and I couldn't help the excitement I felt to see how Genevieve looked tonight. As I walked around my eyes landed on a familiar hybrid and my smirk deepened. He seemed to see me, so I decided to go approach him. "Where've you been mate?" "I just got back in town," he replied stoically. _Obviously,_ I thought to myself. "That's funny, I don't recall giving you permission to leave in the first place. You don't mind if I cut in, do you?" I asked. I had only wanted to irritate him, and it seemed to work. "Yes! Actually we do," Caroline shouted as she glared at me, but Tyler shook his head. "No, it's fine." "Why do you always have to prove you're the alpha male?!" she shouted at me making me give her a look that said, 'really?' "I don't have to prove anything, love. I am the alpha male. Come on, one dance, I won't bite," I said with a smirk and held out my hand.

She didn't say anything, but instead looked at Tyler with a skeptical face. After a small moment of hesitation she took my offered hand, and I led her to the dance floor. "You would've loved the 1920s, Caroline. The girls were reckless, sexy, fun. They literally used to dance until they dropped," I said with a chuckle, but she wasn't as amused as I. "Hmpf, I don't suppose that ever happened to their dance partners." "You should be nicer to me. I'm leaving town tomorrow," I said jokingly, but she did seem genuinely happy I was leaving. "I'd invite you to come with me but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps one day, in a year, or even in a century you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer," I teased. She just 'hmpf'd. "You mark my words. A small town boy, a small town life, it won't be enough for you," I said knowingly then left her there looking confused.

* * *

><p>I was now outside. I was calling Bekah, since she was the one that insisted I come, and was nowhere to be found. To my dismay, she didn't answer and I got her voicemail. "Rebekah, call me back immediately! I only came to this ridiculous dance because you begged me to and now you're nowhere to be found." When I hung up my phone my eyes shifted downward, where I saw a long line of salt. "What is this?" I asked confused then sensed someone behind me. When I turned I saw Stefan, but something was definitely wrong. His brooding expression was at an extreme and he let out a sigh. "Vie is back."<p>

My mind blanked at those words. Genevieve had seemed perfectly fine the last time I had seen her. But then again, she hadn't came home when she was supposed to, and I hadn't heard a word from her. Before I could say anything or break out of my thoughts I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Looking up I saw Damon Salvatore standing in front of me with an angry glare and a large wooden stake piercing my heart. It wasn't white oak, so I wouldn't die, but it did hurt like bloody hell. I immediately grabbed him and threw him against the barrier and thrust my hand through his stomach. "Do not test me," I growled out then threw him at his brother.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

While I was collecting the things I needed for my spell I felt a pain in my chest. It was dull and achy at first, but it quickly escalated to a sharp pain. I let out a loud shriek and my legs collapsed beneath me. Elena immediately ran to my side with worried eyes as I groaned in pain and breathed erratically. "Gene, what's wrong?" she asked me as she grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. I couldn't speak a word, because I knew exactly what had happened. Damon had stabbed Nik. I felt it. Elena wasn't taking my silence, though. "Gene!" she shouted at me. My eyes immediately went to hers and I could only say one thing. "Nik."

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

Inside one of the empty Mystic Falls High School classrooms was Jeremy, Bonnie, Jamie, Stefan, Damon and Klaus. It was filled with various different size and colored candles that they could scavenge from the school building. Everyone was silent as Bonnie chanted a spell. "She does this all the time, right?" Jamie asked worriedly and Stefan and Jeremy both nodded their heads. Niklaus, however, was agitated. "What's taking so long?! All boundary spells have a loophole," he shouted as Matt entered the room. "People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier." "Matt and I can leave, we can stop Gene ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is," Jeremy suggested, but Stefan and Damon shook their head. "It's suicide, Jeremy." Niklaus, who was angry at the Salvatores' assumptions and the slow pace Bonnie was moving at, grabbed Jamie by the throat. "Suicide would be disappointing me! Now work your magic, witch or I'll start killing people you fancy." "Let him go!" she shouted as she stopped chanting her spell and lost all focus. "Not until you get us out of here." "Ah, don't be stupid, Klaus," Stefan said, since he was the only person who had the guts to. "Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us. The only reason she's helping us right now is to save Caroline and Tyler. You start killing the people she cares about, she'll tell us all to go to hell." Klaus growled in annoyance then let go of Jamie.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

After my small episode I had brushed my clothes off and acted as if nothing happened. Elena, somehow, seemed to do the same and was trying to reason with Alaric. "Ric, this isn't what you want. It's not who you are." "You don't know who I am, Elena. You only know the weakest parts of me, the man who lost his way befriending vampires instead of killing them." "You don't mean that." "They're all monsters. The blood of their victims is on my hands. Jenna's blood is on my hands," Ric growled out and Elena looked horrified between Ric and I. "Then why are you plotting with Gene? She's a vampire!" At that, Ric began to laugh and was about to say something, but I sent him a stern glare, shutting him up. "Whenever you're ready." "No Ric, please don't. Don't do this. I won't help you, I'm not gonna give you my blood, you're gonna have to kill me!" I rolled my eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Elena," I sighed.

With a single gesture with my hand, a large cut spread on Elena's inner arm and slowly began to bleed. "What," she asked in a shocked tone, because she hadn't felt anything. I smiled very small then grabbed her wrist and held it over a bowl for the blood to pour into. When I had enough, I handed it to Ric. "Drink. And let it be done." "No Ric please, don't.. No!" Elena protested, but Ric drank from the bowl. He drank all the liquid that was inside of it, making a small face of disgust at the metallic taste. "Is it finished?" he asked with an excited smirk, but I shook my head. "Not just yet," I said with a sad smile then rushed over to him and stabbed him through the heart. "No!"

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

Inside the classroom Bonnie ripped off a large map from the wall and placed it over the teacher's desk. She frantically threw everything that was on it onto the floor as Klaus and Damon both entered. "Here. Jeremy made a little Gilbert blood donation for your locator spell." Bonnie nodded her head in thanks and was about to do the spell, but stopped and stared at them curiously. "I have to do this with you two lurking over me?" Damon and Klaus both rolled their eyes at her snarky attitude. "You're still mad at me for what happened to Abby. Let me apologize; I'm sorry Elijah forced us to turn your mother into a vampire to save Elena's life. Didn't exactly have a choice," Damon said with a smirk, but Bonnie shook her head. "There's always a choice. Whenever you make one someone else suffers." "Let's cut the dramatics and begin, shall we?" Klaus asked and Bonnie nodded her head and got back on track.

Carefully, she poured the blood onto the center of the map and began chanting the spell. For a moment, nothing happened. But soon the blood collected into a small, circular pool, but still didn't move. "Gene's fighting me," Bonnie said with closed eyes as she fought back, then let out a sigh when she couldn't any longer. Klaus and Damon both sighed when Klaus said, "Gene couldn't possibly have gone far." "Somewhere near by?" Bonnie asked, but Klaus had already figured it out. Using his mate bond with Gene he was able to pinpoint her exact location. "Get the humans ready, I know where she is."

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

After Klaus told us where Gene was, I went off to find Caroline and Tyler to inform them of what we had figured out. I didn't have to look hard because they were both still in the gym. "They're at the old cemetery. Jeremy and Matt are headed there right now," I said but wished I hadn't. Caroline's face filled with shock and anger, "You let them go?! They're gonna get themselves killed!" I raised my hands to calm her down. "I didn't have a choice, Caroline. We're useless right now stuck in here." "Hey, she'll be fine. Gene would never hurt Elena," Caroline said when she saw my stressed face. I gave a weak smile and nodded my head, "Yeah, well I'm just as worried about what Gene wants with Elena. She lead us all here for a reason. If she succeeds in whatever she's doing-" "-Klaus could get killed. And I die along with him," Tyler said with a grim face. "No one is gonna die, okay. Bonnie is still looking for a way around the boundary spell. It's not too late," I said then left.

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

After Stefan left Caroline and Tyler remained silent for a moment. Tyler's mind consisted of ways to protect his friends, and Caroline's mind was full of ways to brighten Tyler's mood. "So," she said with a bright smile, "best case scenario: Bonnie gets us out of here, Klaus hauls ass to Timbuktu and you and I we're home free." Tyler shook his head with a sad smile, "Or we let him die."

Caroline's bright smile immediately fell and her eyes filled with an intense sadness, "That's not a best case scenario. That's not even a remotely acceptable scenario!" "It would be an option if we knew he wasn't the one who turned your bloodline. You'd be safe. At least he would be gone," Tyler said grabbing her hands gently and kissing them. "How could you say that?" Caroline yelled and pulled her hands away.

"Because I'm angry. Because I hate him! I should have never let him dance with you!" "What were you supposed to do? He can't know that you're not sired anymore. Tyler, it doesn't matter how many times I dance with him. I love you." At that, Tyler calmed down, pulled Caroline into his arms, and kissed her.

* * *

><p>Gene's POV<p>

Alaric's body collapsed to the floor. I was unmoved by it, since he would soon come back to life, but Elena stood frozen in shock. After a short moment she ran to his side and cradled him in her arms, then pulled out the stake. "He'll wake up soon. When he does he'll be his old self. You can say your goodbyes before his transition is complete." Elena looked up at me with confused, teary eyes. "You said you wanted to repay your debt, but this...This is just evil!" "Alaric will never become what the originals have. I gave him enough power to complete his task. Then when the time is right, he will die." Elena's confused face seemed a bit shocked, "How, if he's immortal?" "All you need to know is that when this is over we will have rid the earth of vampires once and for all."

She still didn't seem to understand the situation. But the less she knew the better. "Yeah, but you'll be killing the good along with the bad. You'll be killing Klaus!" she shouted to try and reason with me. At the reminder that I would be killing Nik, I felt a sharp pain stab my chest. The thought alone hurt more than any injury could. "I know…" I whispered in an emotional voice then cleared my throat to try and compose myself. "I want this to be a world where humans won't suffer at the hands of vampires. Like Jenna did," I whispered the last part. Hearing Jenna's name come out of my mouth, Elena's sad, confused eyes filled with anger. "Don't you dare use Jenna as an excuse for what you're doing." I sighed. "You don't have to worry about her. She isn't trapped on the Other Side. Although she was turned into a vampire, her soul was still pure. She's at peace. Which is all any of us can hope for."

Elena's angry face faded to a somber one and she nodded her head in thanks. I gave a small smile that quickly fell when I heard a noise outside. I slowly walked outside and gave a sad smile when I saw Matt and Jeremy holding a gun and crossbow at me. "Gene, don't move!" Matt yelled with sorry eyes. Jeremy wasn't so sorry, though. "Where's Elena?" he yelled as she came outside. "Jeremy!" she shouted in shock, but Jeremy's eyes never left me. "Let her go," he demanded. "She can leave," I said sadly, and Jeremy's angry eyes faded and filled with sadness. He didn't want to be in this position. He is my best friend, and just seeing him look at me with those angry eyes hurt.

Jeremy instantly dropped his gun, but Matt didn't. His eyebrows pulled together as he frowned in confusion. Slowly, his finger moved to the trigger and I understood the situation. The witches were controlling Matt to punish me. "Matt! Matt drop your gun!" Jeremy shouted when he saw that Matt was about to shoot. "I can't! I'm not controlling it!" he yelled through his teeth as he fought with all his human strength against the witches. "Gene stop it!" Elena yelled at me with one of the most confused faces I've seen yet. I gave a sad chuckle and shook my head, "It's not me."

I didn't do anything, but stand still as Matt aimed the gun to fire. Jeremy, I noticed, seemed to be about to jump at Matt to stop him, but I wouldn't let him get hurt in the process. "Jer, don't," I shouted to him. He was baffled at my words and looked to me with helpless eyes. I closed my eyes with a sad smile on my face just as Matt's finger pulled the trigger and a loud gunshot filled the area. Nothing happened, but I felt a heavy weight lean on my body. I immediately collapsed, holding onto the person, who I saw was Ric when I opened my eyes. "Oh my god. Ric, you idiot," I said as I cradled him in my arms and tears filled my eyes. Matt, Jeremy and Elena all ran to my side with worried eyes as tears slowly cascaded down my cheeks. "Someone tell me what's going on."

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

Niklaus and Stefan were both standing in front of the salt barrier in silence as they looked out into the night. "You know this is your fault," Niklaus said to Stefan, who looked at him in confusion. "You set us on this path when you failed to accept that Genevieve loves me." Stefan let out a heavy sigh, knowing that he was right, but refusing to say so. "I'm done with you. As far as Gene; we've brought her back from worse." Niklaus let out a deep chuckle then began, what seemed to be, thinking out loud. "We're strange bedfellows, you and I. You know, all of this, reminds me of our time together in the 20's." "You say that like I'm supposed to have happy memories about it." "Well, there were moments. Real friendship. Brotherhood." "Well, he already has a brother," Damon said with a smirk from behind them. "Not to be, you know, territorial or anything." Niklaus smirked as well, then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh no, of course, the Salvatores, and their unshakeable bond. I wonder what'll happen when Elena finally makes her choice. Will we see you shake just a little bit?" he teased right as Bonnie walked out of the school building. "It's done," Bonnie said with a serious face that quickly filled with hesitation. "Gene's not fighting me anymore." Stefan, Damon and Niklaus' faces all filled with worry at the news as their minds raced to possible reasons why that would be so. All reasons having something to do with an injury. "Thank you, Bonnie. For everything," Stefan said once he was able to snap out of his worried daze. "I didn't do it for you."

* * *

><p>"Damon's here," Jeremy said to Alaric, who refused to leave the tomb to see the pitying looks of all his friends. "Does he know about the stake?" "No, only that Gene tried to turn you into a weapon and failed. What's going on?" Jeremy asked with a sad confusion. Alaric's face held a small, sad smile as he had decided not to complete the transition. All that was left was to tell them. "Listen Jeremy, I'm not gonna complete the transition. My dark side was dangerous enough as a human. I can't be a vampire." "So, what we're just gonna lock you in here and let you die? No, no we can't!" Jeremy shouted as his eyes filled with an angry hurt and tears collected in them. "Listen, Jeremy, it's the right thing to do, okay. After everything that's happened, after all that I have done. Maybe I had it coming."<p>

At that, Jeremy turned and walked away. He's already lost his family, and now Ric? He couldn't take any more of this. "Hey, wait, Jer...Alaric this isn't your fault," Elena said to reason with Ric, and that made Jeremy stop. _Maybe we can convince him to live_, Jeremy thought. "Please, you guys let's not make this any harder than it already is. You two should go. Damon's here. He'll make sure it'll all go down the right way." Jeremy began to walk away again. He wouldn't stand and listen to Ric's last words. "Hey, hey…" Ric said, grabbing Jeremy and turning him around. His eyes were filled with tears and a few had fallen down his cheeks. "Don't. Don't give me some crap speech about how I need to be the man of the house." "Okay. I won't," Ric said then pulled Jeremy into a man hug. Jeremy hugged back, letting a few more tears fall, then left the tomb.

"This is all my fault. You moved out, you gave me your ring back, you didn't want any part of this and I, I forced you to stay and take care of us," Elena rambled as tears of her own began to fall. To her, it seemed like everyone she ever cared about got hurt. Even though she tried so hard to protect them, she just hurt them. "Don't do that, okay. Taking care of you and Jeremy has been…has been the closest I've ever come to the life I always wanted," Ric admitted, making Elena cry more. She ran into his waiting arms and hugged him once last time. "You should go," Alaric whispered. As Elena walked out of the tomb, Genevieve walked in.

Her face was as emotionless as a doll, but the second no one outside could see her, her face contorted into one of pure grief. "Ric, I'm so sorry," she sobbed as he pulled her into a hug. Genevieve's mind was flooded with angry memories of her father beating her for showing weakness. _Salvatores do not cry_, her father shouted inside of her mind, making her cry even more. "Gene, this isn't your fault," he whispered into her hair as he held her thin, sobbing body. "You're under so much pressure," he continued, catching her attention. "What?" she asked in a small voice. Ric pulled her to his arms-length and gave her an understanding look. "Goddess of the Earth."

As soon as she heard the name her body stiffened. The witches had began calling her that at the same time that they began to punish her. "There is so much you're hiding from us, Gene. The witches have been attacking you, your brothers have basically disowned you… and your connection to Klaus." Gene's eyes widened and she looked down to the floor. She had been handling it all, trying to make sure no one worried. But when she realized Ric knew everything a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "Genevieve, why haven't you told anyone about your mate bond with Klaus? If they knew they would understand. I mean, they're trying so hard to kill him, but even if he didn't sire them you would die. You have to tell them." Jeremy, who had came back to say one last thing to Ric, gasped as he heard what Ric had said. His mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts, but one stood out more than others. '_If Klaus dies, so does Gene?_' The anger he was feeling escalated to drastic proportions when he finally realized all the harm that him and his friends were causing to the one person who did everything to protect them.

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

Elena was silently crying as she stood alone. And with the crazy situation that has been going on between her and I, I had to talk to her. I know I said I would let her figure out her feelings, but it's killing me. I need to know. Everyone was so caught up grieving for the soon-to-be dead Ric that no one had noticed a large cut that was on Elena's inner arm. Slowly, I walked over to her and grabbed it. She winced when I did so, then seemed shocked as she looked at the cut. "I forgot about that," she mumbled out. Without hesitation I bit my wrist and put it up to her mouth so she could heal the cut. She hesitated, but drank it, and the cut healed leaving behind a visible scar that would slowly fade. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" I asked her. She was hesitant to leave, considering the situation, but when she saw the serious look in my eyes she agreed.

We had walked a good two minutes away from everyone else when we stopped walking. "I know this is a bad time, but I have to know," I said to her. She seemed to realize what I was talking about because her sad face filled with understanding and uncomfortability. She was regretting coming to talk with me. "Who is it going to be?" Hearing me ask, fresh tears sprang to her eyes and she seemed to choke up in sadness. She didn't answer right away, but with the look in her eyes I understood. "I love him, Damon. He came into my life at a time when I needed someone and I fell for him instantly. No matter what I feel for you, I – I never unfell for him." "Yeah, I get it. Stefan, it's always gonna be Stefan," I whispered, not able to meet her eyes. When I looked at her for a second I saw all the regret she was feeling for answering the question. "I can't think about always. All I can think about is right now. And I care about you, Damon, which is why I have to let you go. I mean, maybe if you and I had met first." Hearing that, my heart broke even more. If we had met first… "Yeah, maybe," I said then walked away.

* * *

><p>Stefan's POV<p>

I had followed them. I shouldn't have, but I knew this would happen. He left her there in tears. With a heavy sigh, I walked into the clearing Damon left her in. "We need to go clean up Ric's stuff," she said as soon as she saw me. "We can handle that later." "No, I'd rather get it over with now before some janitor goes to clean out Alaric's stuff and realizes the history teacher was a vampire slayer." She had began walking in a random direction, thinking she was walking out of the woods. Her steps were more like stomps and as she walked farther her tears fell down quicker. "Elena," I shouted to try to get her attention, but it didn't work. "Hey, Elena, please," I said after vamping in front of her. I had grabbed her in my arms to calm her down, but she just fought me. "I can't Stefan, okay? I can't think about the fact that Jeremy and I don't have anyone to take care of us anymore or that we've lost another friend, I just, I can't think about any of it," she whimpered out. "I want you to stay here with me." "I need to do it!" "Hey, it's okay."

Hearing my soothing tone, I saw her starting to give in so I grabbed her hands and kissed them gently. " Remember when I turned it off to get revenge?" I asked her and she slightly nodded her head. "I thought I hit rock bottom in the 20's, but after I almost drove you over the bridge I never wanted to feel anything again. But someone…kept telling me that it was okay to feel. No matter how much it hurt. That our emotions are what make us human, good or bad, and to never lose hope." At that she let out a small, airy chuckle. "Who gave you that horrible advice?" she asked, copying me from earlier. "Just some girl I used to date," I said as I did the same. "I don't have anyone anymore." I shook my head, "You have me."

* * *

><p>Damon's POV<p>

After everyone had left I went back to the boarding house and got a large bottle of whiskey, then went back to the cemetery. I was sitting down against one of the large gravestones when Meredith walked out from the tomb. "I gave him a sedative. He'll fall asleep first. He'll go comfortably." Although I didn't say anything but nod my head, I felt a large sense of relief knowing he wouldn't suffer. "Well… I offered to snap his neck, put him out of his misery but…he didn't take me up on it," I said in a joking manner. There was a large smirk on my face that fell when I saw the look Meredith was giving me. "You seem surprised." "Well, you just think a guy so used to dying, wouldn't want to drag it out." "Well, it was nice of you to give him the option," she smiled down at me. "Hmm…apparently my choices have been a little controversial lately."

Meredith didn't say anything for a while. We both stood in silence until she turned to me and said, "You shouldn't leave him alone in there." I was confused, "That's what he wants." "Is it really what you think he wants?" she asked then gave me a small smile and walked away. I was still a bit confused, but decided I might as well do it.

"Aw, Ric." "Is this the part where you give me a dream? Rainbows and rolling green hills?" he teased with a smirk that made me roll my eyes. "I was drunk when I told you that." "Yeah and I told you I'd use it against you." "Damn you," I grumbled out then sighed and sat down across from him on the floor. "Sorry I killed you. Twice." "So I have to actually die to get a real apology out of you." "Drink," I said to him to get him to shut up, but instead of immediately grabbing it like I thought he would, he hesitated. "Actually, I've been thinking about cutting back." That made me laugh. "Ha, yeah! This stuff'll kill ya." With a single tear streaming down his face, Ric grabbed the bottle and took a long swig.

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

After talking to Stefan and saying goodbye to Ric I was a bit exhausted, so Matt offered to drive me home. I agreed and now we were driving and right about to approach the Wickery Bridge. I was looking around for my phone to call Jeremy, but couldn't find it anywhere. _I guess I forgot it at home_, I thought to myself. "Matt can I borrow your phone? I want to call Jeremy and let him know we're almost there." "Yeah, go ahead," he said to me as I picked it up from the couch and flipped it open. I was dialling Jeremy's number when my eyes glanced up for a second and saw a person in the middle of the road. I immediately lost interest in the phone and stared in shock. It's Gene.

"Matt, look out!" I shouted. He seemed shocked at what I said, but when he saw Gene as well he swerved the car to avoid hitting her. When he swerved we drove inches past Gene, and when I saw her face I gasped. Her eyes were all white and her body was convulsing slightly. The sight sent a shiver down my spine. Then, snapping me out of my daze, I heard a loud crash. My eyes shot to the front of the car right as it went through the edge of the Wickery Bridge and went over it into the water.

* * *

><p>Elena's Dream<p>

I'm waking up. When I take a breath a cold liquid flooded my mouth and lungs, and my body instinctively began coughing and retching to remove the liquid. When I open my eyes I see I'm in the backseat of my parents' car. There was water pouring inside and it was already up to my waist. My dad, who was in the driver's seat, was trying to get the car to start. "Dad?! Dad!" "We're gonna be okay. I promise," he shouted to calm me down, but it wasn't working. "Dad!" I shout and the car began to sink further.

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

It is nighttime, and there is a man lying in the middle of the road that leads into Mystic Falls. He is silent and staring up at the stars, lost in thought. Breaking the silence, he hears a familiar voice from a small distance and immediately stands up. The bright moonlight was shining down on his ebony hair, almost looking like a dark halo around his creamy, pale skin. His eyes seemed like a clear, icy blue that were filled with love and longing. When his eyes landed on a slim brunette a short distance away he ran up behind her.

The young beauty was on the phone, and her tone seemed slightly distressed. "I know Bonnie, you're right. You and my mom both are. I just can't bring myself to tell him. At least not tonight. I'll call you later." When she hung up the phone she turned around and jumped back when she saw the handsome stranger. "Katherine," he said to her. Her fear instantly changed to confusion as her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "No – um – I," she left off then quickly looked behind her to check to make sure he was talking to her, "I'm Elena."

The strangers eyes immediately fell and his shoulders slightly slumped. "Oh, you – you just look… I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon," he said with a smile. Elena couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. And seeing his smile only helped take her breath away even more. After a small moment of staring she seemed to realize the situation she was in. "Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere." "You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself." After a small shrug the brunette smiled innocently, "It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here." Damon didn't say anything to that naive statement, but found himself staring at this young girl. She looked so alike to Katherine, yet they were so different.

"I got into a fight with my boyfriend," she blurted out. Hearing the news, Damon's eyes widened and he became intrigued. "About what? May I ask." "Life, future, he's got it all mapped out," she said with a sigh as she took a glance up at the stars. She couldn't explain it, but she had a deep feeling like there was something missing from her life. "And you don't want it?" "I don't know what I want." "Well, that's not true," he said. That grabbed her attention. "You want what everybody wants." "What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?" she asked with a smile on her face that made him smile. "Hm, well, let's just say I've been around a long time," he said hinting at his own hidden status as a vampire. "I've learned a few things." "So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want?"

Damon smiled then took a step closer to her. Now they both stood nose-to-nose, but all they could do was look into each other's eyes. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a little danger." She was breathless at his words. Somehow as he spoke she found herself realizing that was exactly what she wanted. And she couldn't help but wonder if that was what he wanted, too. "So, what do you want?" she asked in a quiet whisper. He hesitated to answer. She noticed. As he was going to answer a loud car horn was heard from behind her as it came to a stop across the street. "It's my parents," she told him as she glanced at them. When she looked back she gasped to see that, somehow, they had gotten closer. His nose was touching hers and she could clearly see that his eyes weren't actually ice blue, but only seemed that way from the moon light. Damon, however, wasn't admiring the beauty of her chocolate brown eyes. He didn't even know this girl, but the image of her face was imprinted on every corner of his mind. But now, he fought himself to compel her. With a heavy sigh he said, "I want you to get everything that you're looking for, but right now I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing that I'm in town yet. Goodnight, Elena."

* * *

><p>Elena's POV<p>

Slowly, I opened my heavy eyes. I couldn't breathe and when I saw that Matt's truck was completely submerged I understood. Matt's eyes weren't open. I immediately reached over to Matt and turned his face towards me. I patted his face, but he didn't respond. Being in this situation sent my mind into a haze of horrible memories that I have tried so hard to forget. And when it all became too much I blacked out.

* * *

><p>Dad was struggling to get his door open, but it wouldn't budge. All that could be heard was the sound of the jiggling door handle, then dad violently slamming his arm on the window to try and break it. All I could do was watch helplessly as the water began rising up my body.<p>

* * *

><p>Luling out of my flashback, I blinked my eyes repeatedly to fix my blurred vision. I was still in a haze, but as I struggled to keep my eyes open, I shook Matt to try and wake him. He didn't wake so I tried to scream his name. But since we were underwater nothing but bubbles came out of my mouth. When I realized that that wasn't going to work I gave up and tried to open my door or smash my window. Although I was able to try and smash the window, the pain in my hand and the hazy feeling in my head sent me back into a small black out.<p>

* * *

><p>Dad was still trying to break the window, but the car was already completely submerged. "Dad," I tried to say, but nothing came out. But he did turn to me. My heart immediately dropped when I saw that all hope had left his eyes. He gave me a sad smile then reached out for my hand. "I love you," I mouthed to him just as I felt myself slowly slipping into the darkness.<p>

* * *

><p>Now as I frantically fought to pull out of my haze I saw that Stefan was at Matt's door. He quickly ripped it off its hinges and tried to pull me out first. I immediately shook my head and motioned for him to get Matt out first. Stefan was going to argue with me and pull me out anyways, but I wouldn't let him. He was angry with me, because he knew that there wasn't much time for him to come back for me, but he grabbed Matt anyway. I watched as he swam away and just as he disappeared from my sight, I took my last breath.<p>

* * *

><p>Jeremy's POV<p>

Elena and Matt weren't here yet, and neither of them were answering their phones. It was frustrating me. As I got Matt's voicemail for the third time I decided to leave a voicemail. "Matt, man, where are you guys? You should have been back by now," I said making my way down the stairs. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw Ric standing in the hallway with a sad smile. "Jeremy." "Ric?" I asked with a confused face as I just stared at him. "How did you get here?" "I don't know," he said with a small chuckle then took a step towards me. "I just wanted to say goodbye and it kind of happened." My mind blanked as I realized what was happening. "I just wanted you to know that I'll always be here to look after you, Jeremy. That you'll never be alone, okay? I promise." "You're a ghost," I whispered out and I could feel my heart breaking again. Just like it did every time someone I cared about died. "There's one more thing… Jeremy it's Elena…" he said with a frown. And here I thought that my heart couldn't break anymore.

* * *

><p>Third Person POV<p>

Inside the Mystic Falls Hospital Morgue was a single light that shined onto a lone autopsy table. On that table lay a pale, beautiful brunette. Her usually shining brown eyes were now closed. Her usually luscious lips were pale. And her usual smile was nowhere to be seen. Next to her sat a crying young man. His normally brooding olive eyes were shining with tears as he held one of her cold hands.

Upstairs in the lobby a pale, dark haired man with fiery blue eyes burst through the doors. "Where is she?" he shouted and Dr. Meredith Fell immediately ran to him to calm him. "No, Damon, wait," she said to stop him, but right now, nothing could. "Where is she!?" he shouted again, and Meredith grabbed his face to make him look at her. "Damon we need to talk," she said grabbing his attention. His emotions were still rioting inside him, but he allowed her to drag him into a storage closet. "What happened tonight?" Damon's mind raced as he tried to process the purpose of the conversation. "What are you talking about?" "When Elena came in she had a fading scar on her arm. She was given vampire blood, wasn't she?" At that his heart dropped. He had given her vampire blood. He healed her cut. Meredith took the silence as a yes and her mind pieced it together as well.

In the morgue, Stefan continued to cry by Elena's side. His tears were dripping onto the floor, but one tear fell onto her hand. A few minutes passed by when his sobs suddenly stopped. A small sound had caught his attention. Seconds later he heard it again. The sound of a slow, beating heart. His eyes shot to Elena's face just as she took her first breath as a vampire.


	23. an

Hey guys!

So... the story is over.

And sadly to say, I'm taking a break from the story.

It's not completely over, but I've been under a lot of stress lately, so I'm just going to give it a while.

I have started a new fanfiction, though, called Blue Bloods.

It is also about vampires and such, but it actually gives them a back story.

Please, don't unfollow or unfavorite, because Nene will be back soon enough!

Thank you all so much for your support, and please check out my new story :)

Love,

Jessy xoxo


	24. Trequel!

I hope you guys are ready!

Because this Friday, August 8th, the trequel arrives!

I hope you're ready for it ;)


	25. Trequel Sequel!

So I created the trequel already.

If you wanted, you could go on my profile and then favorite or follow it. That way you'll know right when I post the first chapter on Friday :)

Just a suggestion!

Peace


	26. Trequel Trequel!

The wait is over my lovely babes!

Magic of Blood has officially be gone ;)


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